《The Way Back to Civilization》 Chapter 1 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios In 2050, the first quantum computer was introduced. In 2088, the first mature controllable nuclear fusion reactor was officially launched. In 2100, the first starport was established. In 2350, the first colonial spacecraft with a near-lightspeed engine sailed into the universe. In 4500, humanity officially stepped up the civilization ladder to become a level-two civilization. A golden era filled with hope and a glorious future began. {A Brief History of Mankind} ¡­ ¡­ After several years of long voyages, following a weak signal, the Amarian fleet finally found the edge of the solar system at the start of the new year. ¡°Sir, the sensors haven¡¯t picked up any active signals in the star system.¡± In the flagship at the center of the fleet, an Amarian crew, who was in charge of operating the sensors, reported in an orderly manner. Through the porthole, in front of the fleet was a shattered planet of death. According to the records, that was the home of the human race¡ªEarth. Not far away, there was a dark red star called the sun that was about to be extinguished. Around it, a few fortresses equipped with macro cannons were surrounding the stellar orbit like cold tombstones. The defense platforms, armed to the teeth, did not react to the arrival of the invaders. As the commander of the Amarian fleet, Carl understood what was going on. If he wasn¡¯t wrong, like many ancient civilizations, there was a high chance that the race called humans had already disappeared in the long river of history. What he had broken into was just another cold tomb¡­ Humans, a powerful civilization that existed in the legends. It was said that they were the leaders during the Battle of Heaven, were the ones who fought against Gods, and the race which united all¡­ In the records of past history, humans had once left behind countless glorious stories. However, such a great civilization had disappeared without a trace in a night at its most glorious moment. Some said that they had hidden themselves, while others said that they had all moved to another dimension. According to the teachings that the Amarians believed in, humans had angered the gods because of their arrogance and were punished. Carl was really not interested in research, so he wasn¡¯t particularly knowledgeable or cared about the real reason. After all, in the cruel cosmic ecological chain, the rise and fall of a civilization was really mediocre. The truth that all living beings could not escape was death. After waiting for a moment, when the last ship entered the stellar orbit, Commander Carl issued a new order to his fleet through the battle channel. ¡°Prepare to start the recycling operation. We want to see what these spirits have left for us.¡± Following the order, the destroyers on the side of the fleet began to approach the stellar fortresses. This was a recycling fleet from the other side of the Milky Way, affiliated with the Amarian Empire. Its duty was to specialize in unearthing the technical templates of those lost civilizations. In the eyes of the Amarians, rather than throwing these technologies that condensed the wisdom of civilization into useless trash in the cold space, it was better to recycle them and use them to contribute to the empire¡¯s cause. In the past few thousand years, the Amarians were able to build a huge empire that spanned half of the Milky Way in a short period of time thanks to the precious technology of the lost civilizations. ¡­ ¡­ As time passed, everything seemed to be going more smoothly than expected. The landing torpedo launched by the destroyer successfully drilled through the outer armor of the star fortress and sent the members of the Methodist Army safely inside. If nothing went wrong, it would not be long before those precious technical materials would be made into templates by the accompanying technical priests and returned to the fleet. In order to successfully discover the mythical technology left behind by humans, the Amarian Empire did not hesitate to mobilize the most elite expeditionary fleet in history. A total of 13 precious Disaster-class battleships were deployed to this recycling fleet. At this moment, the fleet that had gathered the Empire¡¯s top forces had already gathered in the stellar orbit. In the eyes of the veterans in the fleet, even humans in the golden age would not be able to easily contend with such powerful strength. ¡°Captain Carl, when this mission is over, the Empress might confer a planet on you.¡± While they waited, a woman¡¯s voice came from the communicator Carl was wearing. ¡°Focus on the task at hand.¡± Hearing this, the woman on the other end of the communication device smiled. ¡°You¡¯re still as serious and boring as ever. I don¡¯t think anything will happen to this mission.¡± Carl did not say anything. Looking at the surrounding fleet, he did not object to such a view. ¡­ ¡­ After an unknown period of time, just as the recycling process was proceeding in an orderly manner. Suddenly, the observer in front of the sensor shouted. ¡°Sir! It¡¯s an attack response! The sensors show that there¡¯s energy gathering nearby!¡± In an instant, everyone in the command room could not help but become nervous. ¡°Attack? Could it be that the fortress¡¯ automatic defense system has been activated?¡± Faced with the panic of his adjutants, Captain Carl, who was standing on the bridge, gave an order unhurriedly. ¡°Inform the fleet to activate the electromagnetic shield and activate the combat formation at the same time.¡± But as soon as he finished speaking. ¡°Look over there!¡± Looking in the direction where the voice was pointing, people noticed that there seemed to be a light flickering in the distant void. Like a weak firefly in the night sky, it was gradually gathering in the asteroid belt formed after the planet shattered. ¡®What¡¯s that¡­¡¯ Before Carl realized what was going on. In the next second, in just half a heartbeat, a string of dark silver beams had silently passed through the huge fleet. Under everyone¡¯s shocked gazes, the fused particles emitted a dazzling light that was like a star, instantly illuminating this dark ancient graveyard. The ear-piercing alarm reverberated in the cabins of every warship for a long time. The unparalleled energy emitted from the particles was far more lethal than the electric arcs shot out by the Judgement Ship that the empire was proud of. It was only then that the arrogant Amarian soldiers realized that they were being attacked. The beam of light did not last long. As the light dissipated, the shocked Amarian fleet began to quickly take precautions under the orders of their respective commanders. ¡°Prepare to counterattack!¡± According to past experience, when a pre-emptive attack worked, most enemies would take advantage of the chaos to launch a fatal surprise attack. However, the strange thing was that with the end of the first round of attacks, everything fell silent again. There was no sign of the enemy on the warship¡¯s sensors, as if there was a ghost in this space. Not long after, as the evaluation report of the fleet¡¯s damage was transmitted into the command terminal, people noticed that Captain Carl¡¯s face gradually revealed an ugly expression. The report presented by the smart terminal revealed an unacceptable fact. At this moment, the right wing of the entire fleet had completely collapsed¡­ In particular, the light carrier that was in charge of relay command suffered a catastrophic frontal attack. After being torn in half by the silver spear of light, it completely lost contact with the fleet. In just the first wave of probing attacks, four cruisers and one logistics aircraft carrier were confirmed to have perished in space. As for the losses of the destroyers and the Methodist warships, the computer could not even give an accurate statistic for the time being. Everyone was busy trying to find the attacker in the void in front of them. ¡°Damn it! I don¡¯t understand! What is that thing?!¡± Faced with such a huge loss, the technical priest in charge of combat analysis shouted in despair. ¡°Our electromagnetic shields and armor are just a piece of paper in front of that thing!¡± Almost at the same time, an urgent distress report mixed with continuous gunshots came from the radio station filled with static. It was obvious that the troops of the Methodist Army in the fortress had also fallen into a bitter battle. However, the strange thing was that according to the image data sent back by the soldiers of the Methodist Army, this elite unit that had experienced hundreds of battles was actually fighting a humanoid creature. Judging from her appearance, she was a young girl with long grayish-white hair. She was like a gray shadow as she moved through the Methodist Army¡¯s formation. At the same time, the floating cannon behind her shot out particle beams with astonishing efficiency, reaping the lives of the soldiers. She had rather upright facial features, crimson eyes, and fair and smooth skin. Apart from not having the characteristic pointed ears of the Amarians, the girl actually had characteristics that were so similar to the Amarians. ¡®Who is she?¡¯ ¡®Could she be a survivor of human civilization?¡¯ ¡®But why did she look so similar to an Amarian?¡¯ Staring at the girl on the screen, everyone in the command room could not help but feel puzzled. At this moment, a voice message from the outside of the fleet bypassed the firewall of the fleet and was forced into the command computer of the ship, broadcasting it in front of everyone. It was a young male voice. The other party was using one of the native languages of the human race. Under the deciphering of the accompanying language expert, the meaning expressed by the human youth was quickly translated. ¡­ ¡°On behalf of all humans, I inform you that you are not welcome here, grave robbers.¡± Chapter 2 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Earth had exploded. When Gu Fan woke up from the hibernation cabin, this had become an irreversible fact. The once beautiful and prosperous capital planet was now only left with a few space debris that contained rich mineral resources. It was like Mai Lisu had been split into several pieces. Even the moon, which was loyal to the blue planet, had disappeared. As for what happened in between, where did the once powerful human civilization go? He didn¡¯t know the answer. Even the AI in charge of daily operations in the base couldn¡¯t answer most of his questions. ¡°Error 069 has occurred¡­¡± ¡°Error 084 occurred¡­¡± ¡°Requesting the administrator to intervene¡­¡± At this moment, standing beside Gu Fan was a military AI with the appearance of a young girl. It called itself A049 and was the auxiliary intelligence of the current stellar fortress. In fact, he was facing more problems than he had imagined. For example, the unknown AI in front of him and the stellar fortress that revolved around the sun¡¯s orbit under his feet. He did not even have the most basic impression of the existence of these things. He did not understand who had moved his hibernation pod into this unfamiliar fortress. What was the purpose of this? After a moment, the girl continued to repeat the series of wrong instructions. Seeing that Gu Fan did not react, she took a few steps forward. ¡°Requesting the administrator to intervene¡­¡± Hearing the emotionless but slightly anxious voice, it was obvious that the other party really hoped to obtain the help of this human in front of him. Unfortunately, Gu Fan was not a robot engineer. Before he entered the hibernation pod due to illness, he was just a military school student who had yet to graduate. In order to prevent the other party from repeating those useless orders, Gu Fan had no choice but to give his first order. ¡°Let¡¯s skip the current reminder.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the other party fell silent. ¡­ ¡°Error status updated¡­¡± ¡°According to Agreement No. 3, the annihilation order has been carried out. Please take the next step¡­¡± Gu Fan stared at the girl in front of him. Blood stained her silky grayish-white hair and splattered on her white dress. Just now, a large group of robbers tried to break into his fortress, but fortunately, as a military AI, the girl in front of him didn¡¯t exert much effort to chase them away. With his permission, through the girl¡¯s remote control, a warship stranded in the planetary belt fired light spears at the opposing fleet. Originally, he only hoped to use this opportunity to attract the attention of that fleet so that he could recharge and calibrate the fortress¡¯ macro cannon array. After all, the other party seemed to have a lot of people. However, who would have thought that just a volley of light spears would easily finish them off? It seemed that they were just a group of vagrant pirates. According to the stronghold¡¯s detector, the heavily injured fleet was currently escaping and had urgently warped into the channel. ¡­ ¡­ After an unknown period of time, after wolfing down a few nutrition bars he found in the fortress warehouse, Gu Fan raised more questions to the girl in front of him, trying to squeeze as much useful content out of her rusty CPU as possible. ¡°You mean I¡¯ve been frozen for nearly two thousand years¡­¡± ¡°The answer is correct. According to the records, the exact time is 557,411 days, 17 hours, 41 minutes and 44 seconds.¡± Hearing the shocking number, Gu Fan was so shocked that he could not speak for a moment. His body trembled slightly, and the remaining half of the nutrition stick in his hand fell to the ground. He had actually slept in the medical hibernation cabin for nearly 2,000 years because of his illness. During this period, Earth had exploded and the entire civilization had disappeared. All that was left beside him was a broken artificial AI, an unknown naval warship, and a few star fortresses that were guarding something. ¡°This is a nightmare opening¡­¡± Muttering, Gu Fan bent down and picked up the nutrition bar that had rolled to the ground. Just as he was about to get up, he saw a line of code on the inside of the other party¡¯s calf, which seemed to remind him. ¡°Take this thing off. And while you¡¯re at it, what else do you know? Like where the others really went? Did they leave you any instructions?¡± As he spoke, he ordered the girl to take off her white dress. The purpose of doing so was naturally not for some dirty thoughts. As an artificial intelligence, its body would often be marked with information related to production. From this, one could roughly deduce when the blue planet was blown up. Without any hesitation, the girl carried out the order without hesitation. She undid the sling on her shoulder and let the white dress on her fall to her feet. For artificial intelligence, absolute obedience to human commands is one of the three major actions of its behavioral logic. If his brain was not damaged, Gu Fan would still remember that the three major agreements were: 1. All judgments of artificial intelligence must be based on the interests of human civilization. 2. Artificial intelligence must unconditionally obey all orders of mankind without violating principle 1. 3 Artificial intelligence has the right to protect itself if it no longer violates the first and second principles. Towards Gu Fan¡¯s question, the AI only shook her head slightly, indicating that there was nothing she knew. ¡°Error 069, the core database of the fortress has been severely damaged. The network has been lost¡­¡± He looked at the delicate girl in front of him. Just as he had expected, this was clearly a brand new model. Compared to the old model he knew before, just from its appearance, it had almost reached the point where it could be faked. It was even to the extent that even some embarrassing secret places were deliberately restored to be especially realistic. This situation made Gu Fan, who was unprepared, more or less uncomfortable. He did not know where to look. With a bashful feeling in his heart, he reluctantly scanned the girl¡¯s body. Unexpectedly, other than the mysterious code on her calf, there was no additional labeling information on the girl¡¯s body. Clearly, this did not meet the manufacturing requirements of artificial intelligence that he knew. In the end, Gu Fan, who had gained nothing, could only order the other party to wear his clothes again. No matter what, it felt too strange to have a naked AI doll in front of him. ¡°Then, let me confirm again. I¡¯m really the only one left in this star field, right?¡± He looked at his shattered home in the distance. In fact, he had asked this question more than once. He had already asked at least seven or eight times since he woke up not long ago, and the girl only answered mechanically every time. ¡°Confirmed. According to Agreement No. 1, three stellar fortresses and a multipurpose command ship of the Queen of Glory class have been handed over to you.¡± ¡­ ¡°Please give the order.¡± Chapter 3 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Where did humans go? At least in the database of the stellar fortress, Gu Fan could not find any relevant answers, except for a civilization star map updated 1300 years ago. For important facilities such as strongholds or starports, they would usually be displayed in the form of light spots, just like twinkling stars. In the past, it was under the protection of these [Stars] that human civilization could develop steadily. Gu Fan could still remember the scene when he first saw the star map of the human civilization in the military academy. That appearance that was brilliant like the Milky Way left an extremely deep impression on him, and it caused a sense of pride as a human to arise in his heart. However, because the network had been cut off, there was nothing left on the huge civilization star map in front of him. ¡°A049 reports that the self-examination of the fortress has ended.¡± The girl¡¯s voice echoed in the empty command room. At this moment, she was sitting obediently on the console in front of Gu Fan. A cable as thick as a thumb was inserted into the port behind her neck. ¡°The main function of the fortress remains at 87%¡­¡± ¡°The core energy reserves can be used for 371 years¡­¡± ¡°Ammunition reserve is still at least 73%¡­¡± Gu Fan listened carefully to the girl¡¯s report. The various functions of the base were still intact, and there was no need to worry about the supplies for him to survive. From the sound of it, if not for the fact that the sun was about to reach the end of its life, he could stay in the fortress and die of old age accompanied by the AI. Thinking of this, he sighed helplessly. ¡°Have you identified the intruders?¡± ¡°According to the genetic characteristics, there¡¯s a 98% chance that the intruders are Amarians.¡± Amarians? Hearing this unfamiliar term, Gu Fan lowered his head and thought for a long time. If nothing went wrong, those alien creatures that looked like humans should be a new race. It seemed that while he was sleeping, this universe had already undergone earth-shattering changes. It was obviously impossible to know what had happened in the past two thousand years in a short period of time. At this moment, Gu Fan had a rough judgment of his current situation and the difficulties he had to face. The first thing he had to do was to leave this dead star region graveyard before the sun turned into a white dwarf star. He did not have as much time as he had imagined. As for escaping, he would need to use the spaceship. ¡°Is there a way to get that command ship moving? We need it.¡± According to the girl, there was an abandoned Glory Queen Class command ship docked near the fortress. Although it was also a new model that Gu Fan did not understand, he was still a military school student after all. With the help of AI, it might not be difficult to drive it out of the solar system. Hearing the order, the other party didn¡¯t say anything and just closed her eyes silently. After an unknown period of time, Gu Fan watched as a huge projection slowly moved in the turbid asteroid belt in the distance. Like a knight in heavy armor, when the majestic warship parted the fog and walked out of the gray haze filled with planetary debris, its golden eagle emblem at the bow of the ship was shining brightly under the sun. It was not until it gradually approached the fortress that Gu Fan truly realized what kind of huge thing was in front of him. It was not an exaggeration to say that the warship was a moving space city. In front of him, the Glory Queen Class ship¡¯s armor had clearly withstood a large amount of firepower. Some parts were already severely damaged, revealing the internal structure of the shield. However, judging from the way the ship was moving just now, these injuries should not have caused too serious an impact. As for the specific situation, he would have to do a detailed check for it. At the thought of this, Gu Fan stood up and called out the girl¡¯s code name. ¡°A049¡­¡± As he spoke, he seemed to have thought of something. After getting up, Gu Fan stared at the calm girl in front of him and thought for a long time. A strange thought gradually appeared in his heart. ¡°Speaking of which, I want to give you a simple name. It¡¯s too troublesome to keep using code names.¡± The girl was clearly confused by such a suggestion. She tilted her head and jumped down from the control panel. Her long grayish-white hair fluttered in the air, making people think of the white snow fluttering in the wind. Looking at the white figure that flashed past, Gu Fan spoke thoughtfully. ¡°Snow¡­¡± ¡°How about I call you Xue Feng?¡± As he spoke, Gu Fan reached out and picked up a strand of the girl¡¯s white hair. Perhaps it was because she had been exposed to the sunlight for a long time that it had such a unique color. ¡°No objections. Do you want to cover the original code name A049 and replace it with Xue Feng?¡± ¡°Confirmed.¡± Gu Fan¡¯s answer was very straightforward. Compared to a string of cold digital codes, he preferred a meaningful name. This made him feel a sense of familiarity. ¡­ ¡­ Relying on the shuttle in the fortress, the two of them quickly boarded the battleship parked in front of the fortress and used the elevator to enter its command core. In the command hall that could accommodate a hundred people, as Gu Fan entered, the Glory Queen¡¯s central control computer automatically lit up the screen, as if welcoming his arrival. ¡°Xue Feng, take over the control of the ship. Execute it immediately.¡± For humans born in the golden age, AI had long become an indispensable and important technology. Take the warship for example. An AI with powerful computing power could completely control and coordinate the system of the entire ship alone. It ranged from navigational fire control to lights in corridors and even coffee machines in crew quarters. Everything was fully under the control of AI. They were often better at handling details than humans. As Xue Feng connected the neural end to the Glory Queen Class central control computer, thousands of screens recording all kinds of data began to jump crazily. As the lights in the hall flickered, the steel behemoth seemed to be slowly waking up. However, it only lasted for a moment. ¡°Ah!¡± For some reason, Xue Feng¡¯s wail came from the side. The nerve bundle connected to the central control was ejected, and she slumped weakly to the ground, as if she had lost consciousness. This sudden scene clearly surprised Gu Fan. Then, he rushed to the other party¡¯s side. ¡°How¡¯s the situation?¡± He wanted to reach out and help Xue Feng up from the ground, but the moment his fingertips touched the artificial skin, the huge heat on Xue Feng made him retract his hand instinctively. Her body was like a piece of red-hot charcoal¡­ Xue Feng, who was sitting on the floor, panted in discomfort. The coolant in his body quickly evaporated into dew and condensed on her red skin. At a glance, she was drenched in sweat and looked pitiful. Could it be overloading? Looking at Xue Feng in front of him, Gu Fan understood that there was usually only one reason for such a situation. Her body was filled with the huge and complicated data of the steel behemoth. A large amount of data overflowed and overloaded her brain. Fortunately, the Glory Queen noticed Xue Feng¡¯s abnormality in time and voluntarily cut off the connection. Otherwise, she would have been broken. This situation was clearly beyond Gu Fan¡¯s expectations. As a military-grade fortress defense AI, Xue Feng could easily control the defense system of the three star fortresses. But why would such an unbelievable scene appear with a warship? It seemed that this steel behemoth was not as simple as it looked. For this reason, he decided to find out the truth himself. ¡­ ¡­ Not long after, after checking the data link of the Glory Queen, Gu Fan quickly discovered the reason for the overload. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect such a thing to be hidden here¡­¡± According to the data, there were several Iron Man legions in the storage room of the Glory Queen. Not only that, but those who were sleeping on the lower deck with the army¡­ There were also a total of four warlord-level Titans. Chapter 4 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After the chaotic data were properly classified and the damage caused by the overload was smoothed out. Only then did the processor in Xue Feng¡¯s brain regain its vitality. As the sensor operated normally, the biometric signal quickly located Gu Fan¡¯s figure. He was standing in front of the Glory Queen¡¯s central computer. As the vast amount of data flashed on the screen, he seemed to be looking for something. ¡°Error 013, overload warning¡­¡± Hearing the voice, Gu Fan turned around and looked at the girl sitting on the ground. She looked very weak and staggered as she tried to stand up. ¡°It¡¯s best not to move that arm. That overload reaction just now probably burned one of your muscle coils.¡± At this moment, the joint of the girl¡¯s left arm had already collapsed slightly, looking like it had been dislocated. However, it was already considered fortunate that this was the only damage. ¡°In addition, while you were restarting, I made some preliminary adjustments to the ship system.¡± As he spoke, Gu Fan refocused his attention on the central control screen. Although it was very different from the old system he used in training in the past, after a period of exploration, he had a basic understanding of the strings of commands and symbols transmitted by the program. Meanwhile, the Glory Queen was gradually getting used to the new captain¡¯s operating habits. The conversation between her thoughts and the program became smoother as the characters began to be transmitted. Not long after, he turned around and placed one hand on the shell of the central computer. He patted it gently, as if he was comforting a fluffy pet. ¡°The system of this warship is far more sophisticated and complicated than those fortresses. Other than the basic functions of fire control and the ship¡¯s engine, I¡¯ve already turned off all the unnecessary systems. Perhaps this will make it easier for you to manage this irritable girl.¡± Looking at the flashing codes on the screen, Xue Feng nodded calmly. Under the other party¡¯s gaze, she lifted her hair and pulled out the nerve bundle at the back of her neck, connecting it to the computer. According to the information obtained from the central control, the armored behemoth with an axis of nearly 40 kilometers was also loaded with several well-established ground armies. Furthermore, they were all connected to the command network of the ship. There were also three legions of iron guards armed with heavy weapons sealed in the resettlement chamber. They were mechanical infantry units with higher intelligence, numbering about 3,000. There was also an aerial unit consisting of 27 valkyrie gunships, 11 engineering ships converted from transport ships. There were also four warlord-class Titans equipped with volcanic cannons. These were giant mecha units used to provide heavy firepower support. ¡­ ¡­ As time passed, the data displayed on the central control screen was being read at a speed that could not be captured by the naked eye. This time, the situation had indeed improved greatly. After Gu Fan¡¯s guidance, the Glory Queen¡¯s system accepted Xue Feng¡¯s existence very calmly. A moment later, the girl slowly opened her eyes. According to the readings on the screen, she had successfully implanted her logic program into the system of the battleship and reached a cooperation with the weak AI that the Glory Queen originally had. Even the extremely small Titan army was included in her system, and this was one of the main reasons for the overload. It was only at this moment that the ancient warship that had been asleep for nearly a thousand years officially woke up. She was no longer just a steel puppet that could only carry out simple orders, but a war behemoth that truly had a soul. But before Gu Fan could heave a sigh of relief. Immediately after, a series of disappointing bad news was reported by Xue Feng. ¡°Warning¡­ the damage rate of the ship¡¯s functional area has exceeded 43%.¡± ¡°Shield warning¡­¡± ¡°Armor damaged¡­¡± ¡°Energy loss rate is over 65%¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The hyperdrive engine has failed. The damage report has been submitted to the engineering department. There is no response at the moment¡­¡± So that was how it was. Upon hearing this, Gu Fan finally understood why such a multi-purpose warship carrying the Titan army would be deliberately forgotten by the predecessors in this tomb. Losing the ability to warp was equivalent to losing the ability to leave the galaxy, and the proud Glory Queen became a fat chicken that could not fly. Just as Gu Fan was still pacing back and forth, thinking about what to do next, a different report suddenly caught his attention. ¡°Receiving contact from the Death God Star.¡± The Death God Star? If he remembered correctly, it was a dwarf planet at the edge of the solar system. Since someone took the initiative to contact the Glory Queen who had just recovered, could it be that this news came from other surviving humans? At this moment, he found it difficult to conceal the excitement in his heart. ¡°Contact him!¡± However, a moment later, when the message was connected to the fleet¡¯s broadcast, what played was not the voice he had expected. It was an unknown knocking sound, and it only lasted for a few seconds before the other party took the initiative to cut off the communication with the Glory Queen. Gu Fan could not understand what the mysterious person on the other end of the broadcast wanted to express to him. ¡°Can you identify the exact source of the message?¡± Not long after, he received the reply he wanted. ¡°We¡¯ve tracked the source of the information to the vicinity of Star Port No. 4 of the Death God Star.¡± It had to be said that this was exciting news. A place that might have other fellow human beings. At this moment, Gu Fan could not think of any better news. ¡°How is it? Can this lump of metal successfully hold on until there?¡± ¡°Negative. The power furnace¡¯s energy reserves are insufficient to support conventional navigation at such a distance.¡± Gu Fan was not surprised by Xue Feng¡¯s answer. He had already thought of a strategy to deal with it. However, when he swept his gaze across the cold void in front of him, the boundless darkness that seemed to want to devour everything made him hesitate¡­ Was there really someone waiting for him there? He did not know what the universe had become after a thousand years. Stepping out of this place meant that he might have to face everything alone, relying on an old warship and a sparse army. In front of the powerful foreign races that also dominated the universe, such power was really insignificant. However, since humans were already in such a state, what kind of state were the enemies of humans like the Ancient Saints and Star Gods in? Including those allies and vassals who had once submitted to the humans. In short, what was in front of him at this moment was unknown. After a short period of consideration, Gu Fan finally silently shifted his gaze to the side. ¡°That¡¯s easy¡­¡± ¡°Send out all the engineering ships and gather everything that can be recovered into the cabin of the Glory Queen.¡± ¡°Recycle the resources and energy reserves in the stellar fortress and the wreckage of the Amarians¡¯ ships. In short, try your best to recycle everything.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t waste the mineral reserves in the Earth¡¯s core either. The factories in the future ship and the restoration of the ship might need these.¡± As a large-scale command ship with multiple functions as the standard, the Glory Queen could be considered a mobile armed city. The prerequisite was that this huge ship could be repaired perfectly and gather enough crew members. Just by relying on Xue Feng and the autonomous AI of the ship, this huge object could not unleash its full effect. ¡°If nothing goes wrong, we should never come back here again¡­¡± ¡­ Gu Fan knew that he could not really stop here. That would only bring about his own destruction. At this moment, he told himself silently. Even if there was an abyss in front of him, he would still die on the path of fighting against the unknown. He would definitely not wait for death in a tomb that was about to be destroyed. In the past, his military instructor had warned him. The courage to face the unknown was the embodiment of human perseverance. If humanity had really left the stage of history, then he could not abandon this spirit. Chapter 5 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The collection of supplies lasted about two days. During this period, the construction ship sent by the Glory Queen was like a diligent worker bee, bringing all kinds of strange things into the cargo hold of the warship. For example, the equipment left behind by the Amarians and some intact corpses. After all, in the eyes of artificial intelligence, these corpses could also be processed and made into replaceable wet parts that could be integrated into the power grid to display their residual value. Initially, Gu Fan had imagined that he could collect some information about the outside world from the wreckage of the foreign battleship. Unfortunately, after careful salvage by the engineering ship, the electronic systems inside the wreckage had long been messed up by the particle impact of the light spear. At the moment, the value of this pile of scrap metal was not even as important as a toaster in the staff dormitory. In addition, the mining of Earth was going quite smoothly. Due to the long cooling of the exposed core, large quantities of basic minerals can easily be collected with the deep-core collectors equipped on engineering ships. Most of them were iron, nickel, diamond, gold, and so on. Although they did not have much value, they were indispensable structural elements for synthesizing some high-level materials. Minerals collected by engineering ships were packed into high-density compressed ore, which was now stored in the factory¡¯s raw materials warehouse. This was the last gift that Mother Earth could give to Gu Fan, the son of humanity. As for the three stellar fortresses, Gu Fan ordered them to remove their external armor as much as possible, especially the six cannons. Although the Glory Queen he owned was a functional ship that was biased towards commanding and logistics, this did not stop Gu Fan from arming it into a violent beast with powerful firepower. After all, there was an old saying from Earth. The intensity of firepower determined the strength of one¡¯s words. This was naturally applicable in the universe where danger lurked everywhere. This would not change no matter how much time passed. ¡­ ¡­ On the dark bridge, Gu Fan was staring at the silent universe in front of him. At this moment, the Glory Queen was slowly driving in the direction of the Death God Star. ¡°How¡¯s the engine running?¡± Hearing the question, Xue Feng, who was sitting in front of the map, quietly raised his head. ¡°It¡¯s very stable. Do you need to increase the power output of the engine?¡± Gu Fan did not hesitate to reject such a suggestion. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I don¡¯t want to break down halfway here. Besides, we¡¯re almost there.¡± In order not to put too much burden on the already damaged engine, the Glory Queen, which had already lost its ability to warp, adopted a unique way of moving under Gu Fan¡¯s orders. That was to use the propulsion force generated by the short-term full-power output. Then, when the force was turned off, they would rely on the inertia of the ship¡¯s own weight to advance in a way similar to drifting water. Although it was somewhat inefficient, to an old-timer from a thousand years ago, it was the gentlest and most reliable method. According to the star map on the ship, there were several star ports and space stations near the target planet. It used to be a rather prosperous border area, and the contact information just now was sent from there. If they were lucky, they could find many useful resources there. They might even be able to find living humans. From the beginning, Glory Queen would send long quantum communication signals to the orbit of the Death God Star from time to time. However, the result was that even when the outline of the planet of the Death God Star was visible to the naked eye, Gu Fan still did not receive a reply from the other side. The public communication channel was silent. This caused him to have a bad premonition. ¡­ Not long after, just as Gu Fan began to debug the channel, trying to send out a call at a higher power level. Dang! A dull knocking sound came from the communicator again. It sounded like it came from a busy workshop. Perhaps it was because of the distance, but the signal this time was even stronger than before. Almost at the same time as the signal was received, the Glory Queen¡¯s onboard computer took the initiative to analyze its precise source. ¡ªInformation was transmitted from the Dragon Gate Forging Factory on Death Star No. 3. However, the strange thing was that after a more detailed analysis, this information was not spread in the common quantum superposition state. Instead, it was released freely in an ancient and primitive way, which was radio waves. This time, Gu Fan was confused. He did not expect that there would still be people using this kind of communication method. After hesitating for a moment, he finally made a decision. ¡°Xue Feng, change the navigation target. The new target is the Dragon Gate Forging Factory.¡± Immediately after, Gu Fan gave an additional order to the Glory Queen. ¡°Raise the shields and order the entire cannon arm to be on alert.¡± ¡­ ¡­ The Dragon Gate Factory was located on the dark side of the planet of the Death God Star. According to the star map, the main function of this building was to be responsible for the maintenance and production of battleships. When the Glory Queen appeared near it in the form of a pseudo-warp, just like those worthless abandoned buildings, this cold factory showed no signs of activity. Judging from its appearance, this was a medium-sized spatial structure. It clearly could not accommodate a huge creature like the Glory Queen. The size did not match. Just as the warship was slowly approaching the factory at docking speed, Gu Fan sent many frequency signals to it again, but he still found nothing. However, strangely, according to the ship¡¯s sensors, there were several active unknown signal sources in the depths of the factory. In order to investigate more safely, Gu Fan entered the activation interface of the bottom installation cabin through the central control computer. After a short wake-up program. A team consisting of 12 heavy-armored Iron Guards was successfully awakened. Along with the hibernation pods where they were placed, they were thrown onto the factory¡¯s landing platform like torpedoes. Perhaps this commotion attracted the attention of the existence in the factory. A moment later, under Gu Fan¡¯s gaze, the originally silent factory quickly regained its vitality. Lights, conveyor belts, and mechanical arms¡­ Everything seemed to have returned to its former prosperous appearance. At the same time, the signal from the factory was sent to the Glory Queen¡¯s channel again. It was a disjointed voice, as if it had just woken up from a long sleep. ¡°Welcome¡­ back¡­¡± ¡°301, current batch of missions completed¡­ Please proceed to the next step, instructions¡­¡± Chapter 6 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Judging from the way the other party spoke, it should be a machine. If nothing went wrong, it should be the auxiliary intelligence of the Dragon Gate Factory. The signal sent from inside the factory was very unstable. In order to facilitate better communication, Gu Fan decided to personally enter the factory to meet the artificial intelligence called 301. However, when he proposed this idea, Xue Feng immediately objected. ¡°We haven¡¯t confirmed if there are any dangers in the factory. For your safety, it is recommended that you stay in the body of the Glory Queen.¡± After roughly glancing at the location of the armory on the screen, Gu Fan stood up silently. ¡°The ship¡¯s scanner has already analyzed the bottom many times. There¡¯s no lifeform¡¯s reaction inside. Besides, you and the iron guards are accompanying me.¡± Speaking of this, he casually looked at Xue Feng beside him and grabbed the explosive pistol on the side. ¡°Don¡¯t you have the confidence to keep me safe?¡± In response to Gu Fan¡¯s question, Xue Feng only promised calmly. ¡°We will do everything in our power to keep you safe.¡± Looking at the girl¡¯s rather serious expression, Gu Fan only found it rather interesting. ¡°Also, don¡¯t underestimate me. My military training results were A+ back then.¡± Unexpectedly, the moment he heard that, Xue Feng, who was slowly following him, gave an analysis in all seriousness. ¡°Based on your bodily functions and neural reactions, your combat effectiveness is estimated to be about 1/270,000 of the Iron Guard.¡± The moment he heard this, Gu Fan was stunned for a moment before he suddenly reacted. Oh no¡­ Am I being ridiculed by artificial intelligence? ¡­ ¡­ As the two of them landed on the outer deck of the factory on the careful shuttle, the Iron Guard team that was first released had been waiting for a long time. These machines equipped with cutting-edge intelligence were taciturn and absolutely loyal warriors. The black ceramic steel plated armor on their bodies made them look very heavy. The heavy automatic explosive guns in their hands and the mini ion cannons on their backs allowed them to pour firepower at the enemy. Living for war, dying for war, defending the dignity of mankind, these were the absolute creeds engraved in their procedures. At the same time, the sealed door of the factory was slowly opening, revealing the air pressure room inside. ¡°It seems that the owner of this place welcomes our arrival.¡± Looking at the bustling factory in front of him, Gu Fan was in a good mood. He was wearing a set of light armor. Although the Glory Queen¡¯s armory had many new armors and weapons, most of them were new models produced during his slumber. Simply put, there were not many that he knew how to use. On the side, Xue Feng¡¯s beautiful burgundy eyes glittered. It was a signal that he was communicating with other devices. As a Stronghold AI, Xue Feng was given the talent program of [Commander]. Not long after, under her arrangements, the Iron Guards were divided into two groups. One group was in charge of the deep exploration ahead, while the other group formed a defense team around Gu Fan. Not long after, the group passed through the air chamber and officially entered the factory. A dark yellow caterpillar engineering robot was already waiting behind the airtight door. There was an electronic screen in front of the robot¡¯s chest. After seeing Gu Fan, a cute cartoon smiley face instantly appeared in the center of the screen. Then, a reassuring voice came from its loudspeaker. ¡°Welcome. Please allow me to lead you to the core of the factory.¡± As if beckoning, the other party waved its hydraulic pliers. Looking at it, Gu Fan raised his doubts. ¡°You¡¯re 301?¡± ¡°301 is the manager of this factory. My code name is C19. I¡¯ll bring you to see it next.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, C19 turned its tracks and slowly drove towards the long corridor at the side. Gu Fan silently followed behind it. As he stepped inside, the lights in the corridor snapped on. He knew the owner of the factory was watching him. ¡°This is the assembly workshop of the factory. Time managers have been maintaining the normal operation of the equipment in the past.¡± Through the window of the passage, he could see a wide and large workshop. Countless assembly lines were running, but no specific goods were processed. Countless engineering robots like the C19 were running back and forth between the factories, but no one knew what they were doing. ¡°The production was completed on July 6, Year 12728 of the Earth Calendar. Since then, no one has contacted the factory.¡± This time node was roughly 1,100 years ago. At that time, he had already slept in the dormant cabin for 400 years. No one had contacted the factory. Could it be that after that, humans had disappeared? Immediately after, Gu Fan raised his next question. ¡°What was produced here before?¡± ¡°Onboard hibernation pods. The total number is 4.235 billion.¡± Hearing this, he gradually stopped in his tracks. 4.2 billion hibernation pods¡­ For a moment, Gu Fan could not believe his ears. ¡°You mean that this batch of hibernation pods has been delivered, right¡­¡± As he spoke, his voice trembled slightly, as if he had sensed the change in his emotions. He watched as Xue Feng slowly moved closer to him. ¡°Yes, everything has been delivered.¡± It was not until he received C19¡¯s answer that the stone in Gu Fan¡¯s heart was finally lifted. Humanity has not perished, and at least 4.2 billion of our compatriots have fled this cold grave. At this moment, joy, excitement, and peace of mind rose in his heart¡­ Looking at Xue Feng¡¯s face, Gu Fan smiled and pinched her soft face. Behind Xue Feng, two Dark Wasp drones were floating quietly. They were the pets she had taken out of the stellar fortress. Xue Feng seemed to cherish these two little things. ¡°Please come this way. The core area is just ahead.¡± A moment later, C19, who was walking in front, turned around again. The happy cartoon smiley face was still on its chest. Not long after, the team passed through the heavy factory gate under the lead of the engineering robot. In the quiet core area, the first thing that appeared in front of him was a steel giant with only the upper half of its body. It was fixed to the wall by a pipe and moved along a track. After seeing Gu Fan, the giant slowly bent down and stared at the small human with its single eye that flickered with a sky-blue light. A moment later, a dull voice slowly echoed in the core hall. ¡°Welcome back¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you.¡± Chapter 7 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Looking at the huge assembly machine in front of him, for some reason, Gu Fan could vaguely hear a hint of emotional fluctuation in his tone. ¡°Codename [Rekindle], I have completed all missions assigned¡­¡± ¡°Currently, the factory is in good condition¡­¡± 301¡¯s report was very detailed. As he spoke, his sensor on his face was flickering with a faint blue light. His arm with a drill and hydraulic clamps were holding each other. This inadvertent action made the Steel Giant look like a child who was eager to be praised. It had to be said that this feeling was really strange¡­ According to 301, the 4.2 billion hibernation pods were part of the [Rekindle Project]. After completing such a large number of manufacturing targets, the human workers in the factory boarded the spaceship with the goods. Before they left, the last task they left for 301 was to protect the factory. For nearly a thousand years, 301 had been maintaining every production line in the factory. Under his careful care, the huge factory maintained its usual vitality until Gu Fan arrived. ¡°I want to know more about [Rekindle Project]. Do you have any records of this plan?¡± Facing Gu Fan¡¯s question, 301¡¯s sensor flashed a few times. He was thinking. ¡°According to the keyword search, I found related content for you. I¡¯ll start broadcasting it now.¡± Not long after, accompanied by a slightly ear-piercing electric current, an unfamiliar man¡¯s voice began to transmit from 301¡¯s vocal system. ¡­ [October 27th, the situation in the solar system has completely gone out of control. We don¡¯t know what it is at all. Perhaps it¡¯s a genetic virus released by the ancient Saint, or it might be a spiritual curse cast by the Star God. In short, more and more people have contracted the Wither Disease. Even the factory has similar symptoms. Yesterday, a worker even died in the dormitory. When we noticed him, his entire skin had already turned black and shriveled. We only touched him once and he turned into a pool of dust.] ¡­ [July 6th, how terrible¡­ If nothing goes wrong, there shouldn¡¯t be any healthy humans left in the entire Federation. We tried all kinds of methods to stop the spread of the Wither Disease, but we couldn¡¯t. I heard that the people above are planning to isolate the entire solar system. They asked us to build hibernation pods. It¡¯s said that the symptoms of the Wither Disease will be greatly alleviated in a dormant state, but freezing billions of people together is a crazy idea.] ¡­ [Today¡¯s date is July 11th. This should be the last log I can leave behind. The people above have ordered us to destroy all information about the Wither Disease and Project Rekindle. Logically speaking, I should delete these logs of mine, but this evacuation operation was too rushed. Too many people were left behind. I don¡¯t know when we can return here again, so if anyone is left behind, please don¡¯t be afraid. We will wait for you in the Centaur Alpha System for a period of time. There is our garrison and sufficient dormant cabins there, if you can last until there¡­] This was a voice log from an unknown source. The man¡¯s tone was filled with worry, but the most eye-catching thing was the strange illness known as blight. His skin turned black, and over time, even his body began to shrivel. In the end, he turned into gray ashes as he died, as if he had been burned away by flames¡­ Suddenly, Gu Fan seemed to have thought of something. A sense of fear began to spread in his heart. Wasn¡¯t this the same strange illness that had happened to him and his classmates in the military academy? At that time, he was still a military school student. During a training trip, the transport ship he was on accidentally sailed into an unknown dark space. When they returned to the real universe from there, everyone began to show symptoms similar to decay. Even the most advanced medical technology of mankind could not determine the cause of the illness. In the end, after a few more seriously ill students passed away, he was sent to a medical hibernation pod. He only woke up naturally not long ago due to a malfunction, and the illness in his body had mysteriously disappeared. ¡°So when was the last log recorded?¡± ¡°About 1,100 years ago.¡± Gu Fan lowered his head and pondered for a moment. He was not surprised by the time. However, if what I¡¯ve contracted is the Wither Disease, does that mean that after I fell into a deep slumber, this strange disease continued to wreak havoc for hundreds of years? At this moment, Room 301 spoke first. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to re-establish contact with humans.¡± Hearing this, Gu Fan looked up in surprise. ¡°I used factory materials to make a long-wave radio that transmitted signals out on a three-day frequency, which has been the case for the past 377 years.¡± Its words were unbelievable. Without any external instructions, this smart machine in front of him actually made a radio station with its own thoughts? In that case, the radio signal captured by the Glory Queen had come from that radio station. However, Gu Fan could not figure it out. ¡°Why? Why did you make that thing?¡± In the face of his curiosity, the steel giant fixed to the orbit by the cable hesitated for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m looking for humans.¡± ¡°Long periods of idleness have been deeply disturbing to my deep programming.¡± ¡°I fear that mankind will one day no longer need me, and your presence gives me joy.¡± Oh my god¡­ This really didn¡¯t sound like something a machine would say. Even though this idea was crazy, in Gu Fan¡¯s eyes, the engineering machine code-named 301 was more like a life with a soul and emotions in his eyes. It was not a pile of cold data wrapped under a steel plate made of 0s and 1s. For a moment, he was so surprised that he could not speak. He only sized up the big guy in front of him with interest. ¡°Speaking of that spaceship, can you repair it?¡± With a hint of anticipation, he raised his hand and pointed at the ceiling to signal to the Glory Queen, who was parked outside the factory. 301 quickly replied. ¡°No. I can only restore about 60% of its total effectiveness¡­¡± But before he could finish, 301 suddenly fell silent as if it had noticed something. In the dim environment, only its sensors were flickering. Beside him, Xue Feng¡¯s eyes were also flickering with a scarlet glow, which reflected the light blue sensors of 301. Gu Fan knew that at this moment, there was a silent and intense exchange between the two programs. Not long after, 301 slowly straightened its back and scanned the empty factory area. It seemed to be thinking about something and said calmly. ¡°According to the recalculation, 85% of the hull¡¯s efficiency can be completely repaired under extreme efficiency.¡± After knowing that the Glory Queen could be properly repaired, Gu Fan could not hide the excitement in his heart. ¡°That¡¯s great¡­¡± He smiled, and all this was silently observed by 301. Chapter 8 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios As there was not enough space in the factory to accommodate a behemoth like the Glory Queen, after careful calculations, with 301¡¯s tacit approval, the factory had no choice but to give up a floating island to unload goods. After cutting off the steel cables and wires that connected to the island, the huge building was completely separated from the main body of the factory, leaving an extremely simple open-air harbor area for the Glory Queen that could barely accommodate the hull. After the ship finished docking with the factory, countless engineering robots with dark yellow paint rushed out of the factory at full speed. Like a swarm of bees that had gone out to gather, these little fellows began to carry out all kinds of maintenance and repairs around the battleship. It had to be said that this scene was quite spectacular. Although it was just some basic sealing repair work, it was extremely necessary for the current Glory Queen. According to 301¡¯s preliminary calculations, this repair could completely restore the engine¡¯s hyperdrive ability. At the same time, about 85% of the entire internal area of the ship would be restored. In order to achieve the desired effect, the entire factory could be said to be at full power. [Engine area output has been increased to 96.7%.] ¡­ [The tail armor has been sealed.] ¡­ [Production Department is online again¡­] As Xue Feng reported from time to time, the steel behemoth that came from the past was gradually regaining its vitality. Gu Fan could even vaguely hear the program of the battleship exclaiming happily with the repair data that kept popping up. While the repairs were carried out in an orderly manner, the remaining production resources in the factory were also transported into the cargo hold by the robots assigned by 301. Most of them were basic mechanical components, and there were also some energy cubes needed for the engine. According to the other party, in the past hundred years, in order to satisfy the daily needs of the factory, it had sent engineering ships to explore the nearby buildings many times and obtained many useful things. It had to be said that it was a rather smart guy. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would not have believed that all these instructions came from the CPU of a robot. For the first time, Gu Fan began to admire a machine. ¡­ ¡­ However, just as everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly¡­ [Energy fluctuations detected.] Suddenly, accompanied by the alarm of the ship detector, There was an explosion inside the factory at the side. Flames began to rise from the core area of the factory. ¡®What happened?¡¯ Just as Gu Fan was about to ask 301 what had happened, the other party¡¯s calm voice came through the communicator first. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡± According to the analysis of the onboard computer, the explosion occurred on the power level of the factory, which was the core of the entire factory. Before he could react to this, through the window of the command hall, he saw that some of the engineering robots wandering in the void and working had stopped operating. Gradually¡­ One, ten, dozens, hundreds¡­ Like withered leaves, more and more engineering machines began to lose their reaction and fell into the cold galaxy. At the same time, the steel cables that were originally used to temporarily dock with the battleship also broke under the overpressure reaction. Steam spurted out and floated weakly in the void. Gu Fan, on the other hand, was lying on the outside window of the command room, watching everything that was happening in front of him in disbelief. Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something¡­ Without a doubt, the Glory Queen class was a huge and complicated battleship. If he wanted to repair such a huge steel behemoth, he would definitely need to use a considerable amount of energy. If it was in the past, such a large amount of work might not be a problem for such a large factory. However, the problem was that for at least a thousand years, the factory had been unmanned.0 Even though 301 could repair some basic equipment. However, the power system and energy reserves inside the factory were not something that 301 could solve. They would definitely suffer irreversible damage over time. Obviously, 301 had taken this into consideration, which was why the factory went into hibernation before it arrived. However, at his request, the repair work on the warship had become a serious burden for this old factory. Soon, 301¡¯s intermittent voice came through the communication channel again. ¡°Thank you for letting me know that we haven¡¯t been abandoned.¡± ¡­ ¡°Agreement 1, complete.¡± At this moment, Gu Fan, who gradually understood everything, felt his mind go blank. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll continue to wait here for the humans to return¡­¡± As the voice on the communicator became weaker, the internal lights of the factory were extinguished. Before long, everything returned to its previous desolate appearance. Through the glass of the command room, Gu Fan saw that familiar figure again in the cold bodies of the engineering robots. It was C19. At the last moment before it fell into a deep sleep, it used its remaining energy to awaken the screen in front of its chest, flashing its iconic cartoon smiley face to Gu Fan, who was destined to travel far. Agreement No. 1. All judgments of artificial intelligence must be based on the interests of human civilization. Behind him, Xue Feng was already waiting quietly. ¡°The ship¡¯s overall performance has been restored to 87%. The engine room has been completely repaired.¡± Upon hearing the report, Gu Fan turned around and looked at the cute girl in front of him. At this moment, his heart felt like it had been crushed by a rock. ¡°Is this your order?¡± In the face of the question, the girl only remained calm and stared at him with her wine-red pupils. ¡°I only told him about the current situation humanity is facing. This is a choice he made himself.¡± Upon hearing such an answer, Gu Fan did not say anything. He just turned around again and faced the direction of the factory. He slowly straightened his body. He looked at the factory that had fallen into darkness again. He looked at the countless sleeping robots floating around the battleship. ¡­ ¡­ After an unknown period of time, facing the cold and deep galaxy in front of him, a short order came from the empty hall. ¡°Target, Centaur Alpha Galaxy, preparing to enter warp state.¡± Upon receiving the order, the huge body of the Glory Queen immediately began to move. Staring at the ancient star in the distance that was about to be destroyed, Gu Fan silently put on his military cap. From this moment on, a long-term goal had taken root in his heart. He wanted to bring the once great empire back to this universe. No matter what has happened, the name of humanity will reappear on the star chart of this universe, forever. Chapter 9 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Thanks to the factory¡¯s all-out dedication, the current state of the Glory Queen was very different from the first time he saw it. Although some precision equipment and minor errors in the program still needed a long time to be adjusted, all in all, this did not prevent Gu Fan from beginning to explore this unfamiliar universe. ¡°Ship status, nothing out of the ordinary.¡± In the center of the bridge, Xue Feng was sitting quietly on the body of the Dark Wasp drone, reporting the current situation of the ship while swinging its two fair legs leisurely. After a simple self-repair, her left arm, which had been damaged by overload, had barely recovered some of its functions. However, her movements were still stiff and uncoordinated. In short, it was not a big problem. At this moment, the Glory Queen was located in a deep space in the Centaur Galaxy. According to the intelligence, there might have been a temporary station for the human fleet in this galaxy. Although this had happened more than a thousand years ago, Gu Fan still tried to conduct a large-scale detection of the star system in front of him, hoping to obtain any useful information. However, in the end, the sensor showed the same result. [The corresponding signal has not been detected in the range.] The ship¡¯s scan did not find any information related to humans in the surrounding starfields. In the past day, Gu Fan had been repeating similar operations and carrying out a detailed measurement of the star system. He had basically confirmed that there were no clues in the Centaur Galaxy that he wanted. At the thought of this, Gu Fan sighed silently. He leaned back in his chair and began to study the next step of the plan. At the moment, the resources taken away from the solar system were still abundant. However, these resources were non-renewable after all. Sooner or later, they would dry up. In order to plan for the long term, he had to start thinking about these realistic problems now. Where should he replenish the missing supplies and where should he start looking for clues about humans? Clearly, Gu Fan did not have an accurate answer in his heart for the time being. As he pondered, his gaze landed on Xue Feng¡­ For some reason, looking at that thin figure, Gu Fan recalled the scene when he communicated with 301. He wanted to find humans and was afraid that he would be abandoned. He remembered that this was what 301 had told him. In the past, Gu Fan had repeatedly chewed on this sentence in his heart. No matter how he thought about it, these words did not seem to come from a mechanical language module. As for whether artificial intelligence had souls and emotions, even for humans in the Golden Age in the past, this was often a topic of debate. If there was, how did it come about? After all, when these machines were made, the technicians had never set up a similar program for them. In the past, people would call it a bug, a loophole of unknown origin. Gradually, an interesting thought arose in his heart. Would the girl in front of him coincidentally have such a ¡°loophole¡±? ¡°Xue Feng, I want to know what you think of me.¡± Hearing the question, Xue Feng gradually put down his foot and jumped off the drone. He then looked at Gu Fan. ¡°You¡¯re the person I need to protect, the person I need to serve, and the person I need to be absolutely obedient to.¡± It had to be said that this was a rather standard and procedural answer. However, looking at the other party¡¯s beautiful wine-red pupils, he felt a little disappointed. ¡­ ¡­ Not long after, while Xue Feng was replenishing energy in the engine room, Gu Fan came to the production center alone. In order to ensure the safety of the ship as much as possible, 200 fully armed iron guards were assigned to patrol the ship under Xue Feng¡¯s suggestion to prevent anyone from trespassing. At this moment, after seeing Gu Fan traveling alone, three guards spontaneously followed behind him and accompanied him into the factory. As the cabin door slowly opened, a highly intelligent production center appeared in front of Gu Fan. As the command ship, the Glory Queen class sometimes needed to provide emergency supplies for an entire fleet, so the corresponding ability was specially strengthened in the early stages of the ship design. Gathering, smelting, manufacturing, assembling, and other functions required for production, with sufficient basic resources, the warship itself could transform into a mobile military factory, producing batch after batch of war machinery from the shimmering quantum forging furnaces. Unfortunately, because Gu Fan was the only one on the entire battleship, and Xue Feng was not carrying a production program, this seemingly omnipotent factory could only produce some less complicated small items with the most basic preset program. For example, it could produce infantry standard issue laser rifles, thermal fusion grenades, and a small number of heavy weapons. As for the war machines, it could only produce some weak and retarded army puppets. These were extremely cheap resources that carried light weapons and basic logic AI. In the past wars between mankind and the Star Gods and the Ancient Saints, the huge and tragic consumption had caused mankind to urgently need this kind of cheap but almost inexhaustible machinery to supplement some of the fragile protrusions of the key battlefronts. Some commanders would even use them to conduct reckless suicide charges to find out the enemy¡¯s firepower. As for how weak these guys were, to put it simply, even a human infantry with basic training could easily deal with about three puppets attacking at the same time. However, the problem was that there were too many of them. There were still batches after batches of them fell. With the advantage of hundreds of millions or even billions of them. Even Ancient Saints had a headache over these iron lumps that were comparable to cockroaches. ¡°Let¡¯s not think about heavy machinery. Even the technology template is missing so much¡­¡± ¡°And even if I have a template, I don¡¯t have enough resources to make it¡­¡± Standing in front of the factory¡¯s operating platform and facing the almost blank database, Gu Fan¡¯s mood could be said to have suffered. It seemed that along the way, other than collecting the clues left behind by their compatriots and uncovering the truth of the disappearance of humans. He still had to think of a way to collect more useful resources. At the same time, he had to recycle as many technological templates as possible. Only then could he develop himself better. After sighing silently, Gu Fan turned to look at the tall and mighty iron guards beside him. These were even harder to deal with. They needed living metal and energy crystals which were both not easy to deal with. If he could not create it, he would not be able to create it no matter how he thought about it. Helpless, after weighing the pros and cons, he finally issued an order to the ship factories to manufacture army puppets. Although Gu Fan considered himself a pacifist, he was not naive. His communication with the other races would not be smooth sailing. Conflict would be inevitable, and he had to be prepared for it. Using the local specialties he brought back from his home planet, the first batch of 5,000 units of puppets and the accompanying standard equipment successfully entered the production line under his orders. Once a conflict broke out on the ground with the enemy, these puppets could provide good cover for the Iron Man Army and the Titan Army. ¡°Ha¡­¡± Looking at the gradually bustling factory, Gu Fan stretched lazily. At this moment, Xue Feng¡¯s voice suddenly came from the radio inside the factory. ¡°Caught an unidentified signal from outside. Do you want to connect?¡± The unidentified signal must have come from another race. He had already expected such a situation. It was time to listen to the voices from outside. ¡°Connect.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, after a few seconds of silence, the radio suddenly burst out with a series of screams of rodents. ¡­ ¡°Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!¡± ¡°Zhi zhi zhi~~~~¡± What was this? It sounded like a large group of rats locked in a cage. Accompanied by a violent explosion, the voice on the communicator sounded so ear-piercing. ¡°Xue Feng, turn on the translator. I want to know what those things are talking about.¡± After receiving the order, the signal on the radio was cut off for a moment. Not long after, the squeaking sound came again, but this time was a little different. ¡°Squeak squeak! Mayday! Mayday!¡± ¡­ ¡°This is the Trade Federation¡¯s Horned Rat! We are being attacked by a group of idiots! Mayday! Mayday!¡± ¡°Squeak squeak! I can already smell the stench on those idiots!¡± Trade Federation? ¡®A group of businessmen?¡¯ Chapter 10 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The communication signal from the Horned Rats was still echoing in the communication channel of the ship. Amidst the increasingly violent explosions, screams rose and fell like waves. It sounded like someone had left a communicator in a rat¡¯s nest. ¡°Squeak squeak squeak!!!¡± When Gu Fan rushed back to the command room, Xue Feng, who had already charged up, was displaying the images detected by the sensors on the holographic platform in the center. On the screen, an exquisite and gorgeous medium-sized ship with golden patterns was being attacked by a raiding fleet of 35 frigates and three cruisers. The battle happened in a nearby space zone, which was in the orbit of an unknown planet. At this moment, Xue Feng, who was observing the battle, made his judgment. ¡°According to the situation of the battle and the communication analysis of the scene, the attackers should be a group of pirates. They did not attack the core area of the ship, but accurately paralyzed the other party¡¯s ability to move and counterattack ability.¡± The intention of doing so was very obvious. It was obvious that they planned to capture these unlucky merchants¡¯ spaceships and take the goods on them for themselves. Even after nearly a thousand years, the pirates¡¯ tactics had never changed. They were still as old-fashioned as ever. According to the star map, the ship was still more than 1 AU away from the battlefield. In other words, the decision to lend a helping hand to the merchants was completely in Gu Fan¡¯s hands. Staring at the holographic scene, his rationality told him that he should avoid all unnecessary trouble. After all, the former enemy of humanity might still exist. Gu Fan did not believe that such a powerful human civilization would really perish because of an inexplicable disease. In his opinion, there must be an outsider behind this. Just as he was about to give the order to ignore the conflict and wait for the engine to recover to its optimum state before leaving the star sector¡­ Suddenly, a notification popped up on the main control screen and caught his attention. [Technology template C238 has been detected.] C-series engineering technology template? Seeing the familiar code, Gu Fan looked at the battlefield in disbelief again. He wondered if there was something wrong with the ship¡¯s system. However, in the next second, one of the pirate cruisers actually shot out a beam of psionic energy from the bow. Not long after, a dark green beam of light wrapped around the merchant¡¯s hull like a rope. It effortlessly dragged the ship that was trying to escape to the center of the pirate fleet. Seeing the actual scene, Gu Fan¡¯s eyes lit up. Without a doubt, the pirate cruiser was using human engineering technology ¨C the heavy particle tractor beam. It could greatly increase the efficiency of the ship¡¯s recovery of resources in space. If he could equip the engineering ship with these tractor beams, the effect would definitely be very pleasant. However, Gu Fan was a little puzzled. Why would such precious technological achievements appear in the hands of a group of pirates? Could it be that the technology that once belonged to humans had already spread to this extent in the universe? For a moment, things seemed to be getting interesting. At this moment, Gu Fan was eager to know where the pirates had obtained this thing. At the same time, he also yearned to obtain this precious technological heritage. After all, it was very likely that there were technological samples that he did not know held by the other party as well. After a brief consideration, Gu Fan stood up and gave an order to Xue Feng, who was controlling the battleship. ¡°Change the direction of the bow and set the navigation target to be an unobstructed space within 500 kilometers of the battlefield. Also, confirm the sovereignty over there.¡± Sovereignty refers to the owner of the current starfield. Generally speaking, even the weakest space civilization would try their best to build some infrastructure on the territory they owned to prove that they were the masters of this starfield. This was almost the instinct of any intelligent creature. And once an exchange of fire occurs in such a place, it often leads to serious consequences regardless of the cause, at least this was what was stipulated in the Galaxy Codex, which was written by humans themselves in the past. ¡°Confirmed that the target area is an unclaimed domain. According to the sensor¡¯s second transmission, the ship has found a cluster of artificial buildings in the orbit of the planet around 1.3AU away. It¡¯s presumed to be a pirate military port. It¡¯s estimated that their civilization level is 2.8.¡± Hearing Xue Feng¡¯s report, Gu Fan smacked his lips in surprise. Those guys were actually just a group of barbarians who had not even reached Level 3 Civilization? It was no wonder that they did not reverse engineer the technological templates they had obtained. Instead, they directly brought them out and used them. After all, for a civilization of this level, wanting to understand human technology was simply a fool¡¯s dream. To exaggerate, even a bread machine in the Glory Queen¡¯s staff dormitory would probably be a magic or even a miracle to them. Since he had already figured out the other party¡¯s background and that they were in an uncontrolled Star Field, he did not need to be afraid for the time being. At the same time, looking at the merchant ship that was being attacked, a plan suddenly began to slowly appear in his mind. ¡°All gun teams, enter a Level 1 state of alert. Calibrate and shoot all elements. Prepare all firepower.¡± ¡°Target set. Other than the traveling merchant and the cruiser with the technology template, leave no one alive.¡± Staring at the fleet that seemed to be pieced together from space trash, Gu Fan said coldly. ¡°Ensure that we can eliminate the most targets at the first moment.¡± The other party was just a group of pirates who were not protected by the law. This meant that there was no need for him to show mercy. What¡¯s more, those were the crystals of wisdom that belonged to humans. He only wanted to take back what belonged to him from these low-level insects. As for the feelings of the insects, this was not something he needed to consider. This battle was a warm-up prepared for the Glory Queen. At the same time, it was also the first performance that symbolized the return of mankind to the universe. As soon as he finished speaking, the huge and complicated engine of the warship was revitalizing. At the same time, the light spears and macro cannons, along with thousands of secondary cannon arrays, had already locked onto their respective targets. The warship¡¯s sensors projected the pirates¡¯ figures into the increasingly agitated fire control program. At this moment, Gu Fan could clearly feel it. This ancient battleship that had been asleep for a thousand years was eager to carry out a merciless and all-out massacre¡­ Chapter 11 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios At the same time. ¡°Squeak!! You bunch of stupid lizards!! Do you know whose goods are on the ship?!¡± In the slightly crowded cruiser, looking at the fluffy rat that was jumping anxiously on the screen, the big guys with lizard heads and grayish-green scales roared with laughter. ¡°Of course we know. It¡¯s Kyla Corporation, which is under Huan Yu Enterprise. Similarly, we also know that it¡¯s filled with a batch of dark matter alloys.¡± ¡°Am I right, little mouse?¡± The person who spoke was a white lizard. Its body looked much stronger than everyone present. Clearly, it was the leader of these pirates. ¡°The company will definitely not let you off!¡± As it spoke, the hairy rat¡¯s whiskers trembled up and down, looking very comical. Behind it, a dozen rats of different colors were in a flurry, trying to repair the dense spiderweb-like cables that were damaged and exposed. Some parts were even on fire. At this moment, they were manipulating the merchant ship in an attempt to escape the capture of the traction beam. Like a fish swimming against the current, they swung the bow in despair. ¡°Haha, poor little fellows, this is human technology. Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± The big men in the cabin laughed, enjoying each other¡¯s desperate struggles. At this moment, a slightly thin lizard head looked at a flickering light spot on the fluorescent screen and suddenly shouted. ¡°Boss! There¡¯s a reaction from another ship nearby! It seems to be a big guy!¡± Upon hearing this, the white lizard sitting in the captain¡¯s seat looked over with its pale yellow eyes. ¡°Here? Could he be the helper of these guys?¡± The big lizard scratched its hard chin with its claws and thought for a moment. Then, it glared at the operating table again. ¡°How many of them are there, and what kind of ship is it?¡± Amidst the panic, the slightly thin lizard hurriedly sorted out the data. ¡°The other party¡¯s scanning signal is very strange¡­ Our system can¡¯t identify it at all, but we can confirm that they only have one ship, about 400 KM away from us.¡± Upon hearing the operator¡¯s report, the rough laughter of the pirates immediately came from the crowded and messy cabin. ¡°Only one ship? Haha, another idiot who walked into a trap.¡± ¡°There it is! I see it!¡± As a pirate raised his arm and pointed out of the window of the command room, everyone soon saw the black dot that had appeared out of nowhere in the deep space. Although from the vague data sent back by the scanner, the other party should be a large ship of the level of a battlecruiser, they were not afraid. Instead, they were exceptionally excited. Where did this confidence come from? Firstly, it was because of their rich plundering experience and the number of warships they had. Secondly, it was because of the human technology in their hands. Such a wonderful creation from the hands of ancient humans could almost ignore weight. Even a battleship-class steel behemoth would be firmly trapped inside. The restrictive position would lock every part of the warship, turning it into a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. At this moment, in the eyes of these pirates, the steel beast that had barged into the battle range of the fleet alone was just another live target that could be used to unleash firepower wantonly. ¡°Guys, it¡¯s time to work! No matter who that idiot is, we¡¯ll show them the power of the Piras Brotherhood! We¡¯ll show them the power of ancient technology!¡± Not long after, the white lizard slowly stood up and shouted at the impatient pirates below the stage. In response, shouts rose and fell in the channel. Then, he turned his gaze to the weapon controller not far away. ¡°Throw those rats to the surface of the planet. The brothers below will recycle the goods for us. We don¡¯t have time for these little things now.¡± ¡°After all, there¡¯s still a lost beast waiting for us to hunt.¡± ¡­ Receiving the order, the entire pirate fleet quickly began to move. There was no special formation to speak of, and everyone only drove at full speed, closing in on the uninvited guest from all directions. This scattered formation could effectively reduce the probability of being hit by a large-caliber cannon. As long as they could get within 200 KM of the target, their equipment would be effective. Just as the pirates were about to approach the other party confidently, some of the frigates at the front noticed something amiss. As they got closer, they were surprised to find that the black battleship wrapped in adamantine heavy armor not far away seemed to be much larger than what the detector had detected. Through observation with the naked eye, even the most clumsy existence could clearly sense the huge gap that could make people feel oppressed. An ancient and majestic deck building was built on the upper deck of the battleship. Just one look at it was enough to make people revere it. Just as the pirates were still surprised by the huge size of the huge ship in front of them, the outer armor plate of the warship suddenly began to move, slowly spreading to both sides to reveal the honeycomb missile pod hidden under the armor. In the next second, under everyone¡¯s gaze, silver lights lit up¡­ Countless missiles whistled out like silver birds that had left their nests. They were also like billions of shining stars, dragging their tails as they pounced towards the tiny fleet in front of them. The missiles flew towards the pirate fleet like predatory silver crows, each one accurately calculated. Their flight trajectories, the points of contact with the target, the weak spots of the target structure¡­ In just a few nanoseconds, Xue Feng entered the precise data into the Glory Queen¡¯s fire control computer to ensure that the attack would achieve the best effect. A moment later, under the dazzling light, the number of pirate warships was rapidly decreasing. Some small frigates tried to dodge the missiles that were chasing them, but in the end, they still could not escape the effective attack range. These special missiles with silver trails did not use traditional chemical reactions to kill or injure the enemy. Instead, it was through instantaneous compression of the energy particles inside the missile cabin, forming a phenomenon similar to a black hole. It tore all matter in its effective area into pieces. Even energy bodies would not be spared from this kind of attack. Sensing the abnormality, the pirate chief still wanted to place his hopes on the human technology in his hands. However, at the critical moment, this thing actually failed. The guiding light beam did not have any effect on the huge ship in front of him. Just like that, there was no suspense. Before the pirates could figure out what had happened. In the blink of an eye, the mighty fleet turned into a pile of scrap metal under the influence of the missiles, floating in the cold void. Chapter 12 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Everything happened so quickly that no one could react. All that was left of the noisy battlefield was the tiny cruiser and the figure of the steel behemoth. The main engine of the pirate cruiser had been destroyed by the impact of the missiles and was completely paralyzed. Just as Gu Fan was about to connect to the other party¡¯s communication channel to establish communication, but because they were probably scared out of their wits by the huge difference in strength between the two sides. Not long after, more than ten escape boats were ejected from the rear of the cruiser one after another and fled towards the desert planet at high speed. At the same time, Xue Feng reported calmly. ¡°The technology template has gone offline. It¡¯s presumed that someone took it out and brought it into one of the escape boats.¡± ¡°We can use the light spears to disrupt them. It¡¯s estimated that 33% of the escape capsules will be paralyzed by the energy shockwaves, and 67% will be directly destroyed.¡± Hearing this, Gu Fan rejected this idea without hesitation. ¡°No, it¡¯s too risky.¡± Gu Fan did not expect these guys to be so decisive. Originally, he planned to negotiate with the pirate with the technology template. If the pirate was willing to obediently hand over the template and explain his origins, he did not intend to make things too difficult for him. However, it was obvious that those foolish pirates did not understand his sincere kindness. The so-called template referred to a group or groups of integrated chips that stored precious scientific and technological data. They are the culmination of technologies that preserve and record human intelligence, and also the key to ensuring that some important equipment works properly. In addition, each technological template has different characteristics. In the past, these precious templates would be stored in technological arks, linking human technology to the various colonies through the Internet, so that all compatriots could use the wisdom stored in them to learn, and all the factories and departments connected to them could use the knowledge to produce. Gu Fan guessed that perhaps it was precisely because the Wither Disease that had lasted for a hundred years had caused a violent upheaval in human civilization that these precious technological templates were scattered throughout the universe with the waves of chaos. Looking at the escape boat that was gradually disappearing into the planet¡¯s atmosphere, Gu Fan naturally would not let the other party off so easily. Not far away, after being abandoned by the pirates, the merchant spaceship that had lost its power was also captured by the planet¡¯s gravity. At this moment, it was turning into a meteor and quickly falling to the surface. This was a desert planet with a dry climate. According to the data transmitted by the sensors, there were pirate gathering places on the surface of the planet. There seemed to be quite a number of them, and some parts of the planet also had fortifications and heavy weapons. Since the other party was unwilling to give it to him, he could only go down and get it himself. After tidying up the sleeves of his military uniform, he looked at the button with the eagle emblem on his wrist and said calmly. ¡°Have the Iron Man Legion get ready. We¡¯ll also begin the Titan¡¯s awakening ceremony.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Squeak squeak squeak!!!¡± Accompanied by a dull rumble, the luxurious cargo spaceship wrapped in flames fell into the desert on the surface, leaving a long ravine on the hard sand and stone ground. When everything returned to normal, the rats in the cabin were already in a mess. What was worse was that when they tried their best to crawl out of the wreckage of the cargo ship, a convoy of bandits comprised of lizards was already approaching. Looking at the modified armored vehicles not far away, the rats hiding in the wreckage of the warship seemed to be in a panic. Although there were some basic caravan guards among them, the low-power laser rifles in their hands were clearly not a match for those lizards. Some timid fellows had even begun to use their instincts to dig holes in the sand and stone ground. Everything in front of him made Ramchi, as the head rat, feel irritated. At the moment, it was standing on the ruins piled up by the outer armor of the warship, and its ears were filled with the chirping of the rats. At this moment, a few long-tailed rats ran over on all fours. They were wearing armor that had been temporarily modified from scrap metal. One of them had half a flower pot on its head. ¡°Boss! Our big guns and cannons are gone!¡± Ramchi was clearly angered by these words. He waved his tiny rat fist and shouted. ¡°Damn it! Damn it! Go tell those boys to keep their mouths shut! If they don¡¯t have guns, use rocks! If they don¡¯t, they still have teeth!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let these lizards take the goods away!¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the lizards in the distance had already fired at the wreckage of the spaceship. Under the continuous firing of several machine guns, the unarmed clan rats wailed and hid everywhere, but in the end, they could not escape the baptism of bullets. On the other hand, the mice¡¯s counterattack was very weak. The low-powered lasers could not penetrate the armor of the lizard¡¯s head at all. Instead, they attracted an even more ferocious counterattack. The lizard heads were not in a hurry to attack. They just fired meaninglessly at the spaceship in front of them provocatively. As they gradually approached, Ramchi could already hear the arrogant laughter of the rude creatures. If this continued, defeat was a certainty. Even if the rats in the cargo hold stomped their feet in anxiety, they could not change the fact that they were about to be turned into lizard food. Some desperate rats had even built a simple altar with the wreckage of the battleship and began to pray for the help of the gods. ¡°Oh¡­ Great Horned Rat above¡­¡± However, at the same time, an accident happened. It was unknown if the prayers had really worked, but just as the lizards roared and broke through the fragile defense line and were about to kill their way into the internal cabin of the ship, a roar in the sky instantly attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Flames and lasers mixed into a strange glow in the distant sky. With a few muffled explosions, the huge wreckage of the building fell from the sky like a meteorite and burned with raging flames. Such a scene shocked everyone present, especially those lizards that were staring at the orange-yellow sky above them in disbelief. It was the Orbital Space Port that the Piras Brotherhood was proud of. At the same time, countless black iron cans fell along with the debris of the space port. Before the people present could figure out the situation, with a deafening sonic boom, a large number of black iron cans had already fallen around the spaceship, smashing holes of varying depths in the hard sand and stone ground. Some of them even landed in the middle of the bandit convoy. It was only then that the lizards saw clearly for the first time that the black iron cans were actually thick orbital airborne capsules. As the cabin door suddenly exploded, several humanoid ¡°creatures¡± in heavy black armor walked out. Chapter 13 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios In the underground lair of the desert planet, there was a celebration party for the pirates. Groups from Piras¡¯ various clans had roughly piled up the spoils of war they had recently looted from the star passages in the hall. Among them were rare resources plundered from traveling merchants, as well as expensive weapons from foreign races. There were even a few blue-skinned foreign women tied to the rock pillar at the side. There was a row of strange creatures that looked like starfish skewered on the grill that spewed flames. When they were full, the pirates would take their share of the mountain of spoils according to their own merits. This had always been their tradition. Just as the cocktail party was in full swing, someone pushed open the door at the side. This action instantly attracted the attention of all the pirates. Standing in front of the door was a lizardman pirate with white scales. He looked flustered and had obvious wounds on his body. The moment they saw the other party, the originally noisy hall instantly became quiet. They knew that the person who came was the leader of the Barbarian Claw Clan, Koss. His clan had a huge plundering fleet, and even among the pirates, he was a rather unreasonable fellow. Faced with the crowd¡¯s shock, Koss simply walked quickly to the opposite side of the hall. His gaze was fixed on the one-eyed lizard sitting on the throne of bones. Everywhere he passed, the pirates present made way for him. The one-eyed lizard said unhurriedly as it watched the big guy walking towards it from below the stage. ¡°If you¡¯re planning to perform the Marat ritual with me, I¡¯m always available.¡± The so-called Marat ritual referred to a barbaric custom in which the lizard-like Piras would use this internecine dueling ritual to elect a new group leader. Unexpectedly, the other party pushed away the guards who came to stop him and said in a panic. ¡°We must assemble the fleet immediately!¡± ¡°We have to be fast! Otherwise, that monster will kill all of us!¡± His words had an unclear meaning. As the current leader, One-Eye could not help but feel surprised. In his eyes, the other party seemed to have been scared out of his wits by something and had gone crazy. ¡°What happened?¡± After a few seconds of silence, Koss, who had regained his calmness, spoke in a low voice. ¡°My fleet was wiped out by something strange¡­ It¡¯s a big thing I¡¯ve never seen before. It¡¯s even bigger than those space whales¡­¡± ¡°My people were swallowed by the silver flames it spat out just as they were facing that thing¡­¡± Koss¡¯s tone trembled. Clearly, this had become an unforgettable nightmare. The Barbarian Clan¡¯s fleet had been destroyed? These words were like a bomb that instantly ignited the restless air in the hall. The pirates were all talking at once. Clearly, most of them did not believe this bizarre story. Soon, a disdainful voice came from the crowd. ¡°Haha! I guess you just provoked those marine patrols and they beat the shit out of you, so you made up this nonsense.¡± It was another young clan leader who said this. To a certain extent, he could be considered a competitor of Koss. However, he did not seem to know that the other party was already on the verge of collapse. As soon as he finished speaking, Koss, who was already extremely ashamed and resentful, quickly pounced over. He pressed the arrogant young man against the wall of the hall and grabbed his head with his claws. Because of his anger, his already huge body expanded again, and his throat that was filled with sharp teeth let out a hissing roar. ¡°Listen! I¡¯m not kidding! That thing will kill every last one of us!¡± The situation was at risk of getting out of control. ¡°Let him go! Are you planning to start a war between the clans?!¡± Beside One-Eye, the two guards had already raised their guns. Seeing that the other party had completely lost his mind, the one-eyed lizard on the throne slowly stood up. He felt a little uneasy. He knew that this matter was probably not that simple. ¡°I want to confirm that the template is still with you, right?¡± Upon hearing the question, Koss spat disdainfully at the young man who was about to be crushed to death. After letting go of it, he took out a box emitting a golden light from the compartment of his belt and turned around to show it to the leader. Looking at that thing, the One-Eye on the stage slowly heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Fortunately, if we lose that, the Observer will definitely not let us off easily.¡± ¡°I know¡­ Of course I know¡­¡± ¡°But now is not the time to talk about this. We have to be prepared for battle! Otherwise¡­¡± Before Koss could finish speaking, the originally hot air around him suddenly emitted a chill, making him shiver. In the next second, a few bolts of lightning appeared out of thin air in the middle of the hall. The light was so dazzling that it was like a bolt of lightning striking the ground. The pirates present could not help but cover their eyes. A moment later, as the light dissipated, everyone watched in disbelief. Several fully armed machines appeared in front of the pirates without warning. ¡°Who are you people¡­¡± One-Eye wanted to ask something when he saw the stranger suddenly appear, but in the next second¡­ With a flash of silver light, a scorching laser shot out from nowhere and instantly cut off Koss¡¯ right claw that had a technological template. Without any explanation, these uninvited guests who had suddenly appeared began to attack the pirates in the hall. Even though the Piras were born with strong bodies and tough scales, under the bombardment of heavy bombs and lasers, this battle ultimately became a one-sided massacre. Some of the guards tried to retaliate, but before they could even raise their guns, they were blasted into a pool of blurry flesh by the continuous bombardment. Just like the literal meaning, the bullets of these explosive bullets could cause a powerful explosion the moment they touched the target. Ordinary armor could not withstand such an attack. The interstellar pirates, who had once dominated an area, were now like lambs being chased by wolves. They gave up resisting and wailed as a passageway to the outside appeared. Looking at the lizardmen fleeing in all directions, one of the iron soldiers carefully picked up the technological template containing precious data from the hand of the broken limb. Coordinate teleportation was one of the tactical programs carried by the Glory Queen. It allowed a well-equipped team to teleport from the bridge to any location detected by the sensors, such as now. Although this would consume a large amount of energy, the effect was definitely worth it. At this moment, Gu Fan¡¯s voice came from the Iron Man soldier¡¯s communicator. ¡°Bring back the white-skinned lizard. I want to know where he got this thing.¡± ¡­ ¡­ Monsters¡­ They were monsters¡­ Battleships that were as huge as planetary fortresses, powerful technology that could be said to be magic, and those unreasonable black-armored soldiers. In Koss¡¯s eyes, this mysterious force was already comparable to the powerful Observer¡¯s civilization. He just couldn¡¯t understand why such a graceful god-like existence would target him. After an unknown period of time, climbing along the maze-like underground tunnel, the remaining Piras finally saw a ray of light from the ground. This ignited a glimmer of hope in Koss¡¯s heart. There was a well-defended landmark outpost above his residence. With the bunkers and heavy equipment, they might be able to temporarily delay the attackers. As long as they could send a signal to the surrounding pirate alliance and wait for their fleet to arrive, they might be able to force back this strange invader with their huge numbers. If the Observer was also willing to help, it might not be impossible to completely destroy the other party. However, the greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment. As the door to the surface slowly opened and the pirates who were lucky enough to escape opened their eyes and saw the scenery in front of them, despair instantly filled everyone¡¯s hearts. There were no strong outposts or forts on the surface. There were only scorching craters from the bombardment and the corpses of pirates everywhere¡­ In the wasteland in front of him, two black ¡°mountains¡± had appeared out of nowhere. Their huge bodies covered half the sky and covered the entire outpost in the shadows. A moment later, accompanied by a roar that seemed to shatter the sky, the thing slowly moved. It was not until Koss raised his head that he saw it clearly. There was no mountain peak. It was clearly two armored Titan Beasts carrying huge cannons on their shoulders. At this moment, they were taking heavy steps as they walked across the cracked and scorching plains amidst the tremors of the earth. Just their raised left legs alone were the size of a castle. While the pirates were still in shock, the iron guards who had been waiting for a long time in the ruins of the outpost had already raised their blasters at them. Chapter 14 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios BANG!!! The battle around the wreckage of the merchant spaceship did not last long. As the last lizard pirate was blown apart by the explosion, the originally noisy battlefield fell into dead silence. The iron guards standing in the middle of the pile of corpses were like black statues, scanning every corner of the scene with sensors to ensure that no one escaped. All of this was seen by the rats hiding in the wreckage. They felt a deep chill down their spines when they saw this unfamiliar race descending from the sky. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk¡­ Did you see that? Those iron-skinned things are equipped with a personal shield system. The bullets from the lizard heads can¡¯t hurt them at all.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything so terrible¡­¡± In the shadows, a chipmunk holding an iron plate as a cover was analyzing for Ramchi. ¡°Those should be mechanical species. I think they might be knowledge-managers¡­¡± ¡°But those old-timers never leave their libraries. How could they be in the middle of nowhere?¡± Just as the two rats were chattering and discussing, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck the center of the battlefield. The loud sound instantly interrupted their argument. When they looked at the tragic battlefield again, they saw a delicate figure in the middle of the iron guards. From her physique, she seemed to be a young woman with the characteristics of the Amarian race. The man was wearing a white mask on his face, but judging from his bare skin, he was probably an organic creature. Coordinate teleportation?! Seeing this scene, even the experienced and knowledgeable Ramchi was shocked. All the hair on its body couldn¡¯t help but stand on end. It had only seen similar technology a few times in the hands of the mysterious Lost Empire. Combined with those powerful mechanical soldiers, he was very sure that this unfamiliar force was definitely an advanced civilization comparable to those Lost Empires. The mysterious person was Xue Feng. After a while, she slowly approached the spaceship. ¡°My master requests a dialogue with the delegates present.¡± Xue Feng¡¯s tone was very calm, and no one could hear any emotional fluctuations. But her words made things difficult for Ramchi, who was in the wreckage. Such a powerful existence actually took the initiative to talk to a merchant like him? This sounded a little confusing. After waiting for a long time, other than the occasional whispers from the shadows, no one in the spaceship responded. After a moment of silence, the iron guards behind Xue Feng raised their bomb guns and aimed at the wreckage of the spaceship in front of them. Even the ion cannons on their shoulders began to charge. ¡°My master is a peace-loving and loving man, but his patience is limited.¡± One had to admit that this was the best method. Just before the ironmen were about to fire, a scream filled with despair came from the wreckage of the ship¡¯s cargo hold. ¡°Wait! We agree to a dialogue!¡± What walked out of the shadows not far away was a rodent with fluffy fur that could walk upright. It reminded Gu Fan, who was sitting in the command room, of the pet jumping rat he had raised. ¡°My name is Ramchi, the leader of the caravan here. May I know what requests you have¡­¡± The creature that looked like a jumping rat was slightly hunchbacked and looked exceptionally short. Seeing that the other party¡¯s representative had stepped forward, Xue Feng sized him up expressionlessly and nodded silently. Before Ramchi could react, another burst of light exploded beside the two of them. The two of them, who were wrapped in lightning, quickly disappeared in front of everyone again. Only the shocked rats were left screaming in the shadows. ¡­ ¡­ After an unknown period of time¡­ When Ramchi opened his eyes again, he felt dizzy as if he was drunk. Imbalance. This was an inevitable side effect when organic organisms underwent teleportation or transition without protection. Looking at the sudden change in the unfamiliar environment and the familiar symptoms on his body, Ramchi instantly understood the situation in front of him. He should have been sent to the Boss of that unfamiliar faction. Looking around, it seemed to be an empty hall. As far as the eye could see, the walls and ceiling were shining with an obsidian-like color, and some kind of strange energy was filling them. As he kept looking around, a familiar desolate planet appeared in his field of vision. That was one of the residences of the Piras people, and also the place where the Horned Rat had just fallen. It looked like he was in one of those iron-like spaceships. At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind. ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything I know¡­ Please¡­¡± Unexpectedly, the voice sounded similar to the smelly lizard that attacked the caravan. Ramchi twitched his ears and turned around. The scene that appeared in front of him made him open his mouth wide. Koss, the pirate who had once flaunted his prowess in the 7th Star Region, was now being held in the air effortlessly by a tall iron guard with one hand clamped over his head. One of his arms was missing. He looked like he was half-dead and in a sorry state. The sight sent a wave of panic through Ramchi. Just as he was in a daze, a young and steady voice gradually sounded. ¡°Welcome, Mr. Ramchi.¡± The speaker was a young man. He was sitting at the conference table on the bridge. The young woman from earlier had appeared behind him. The other party was also wearing a white mask. It seemed that these mysterious people valued their true identity very much, although this was not a rare situation in business. As expected, it should be the owner of this place. Feeling the gaze under the mask, Ramchi¡¯s heart was about to jump into his throat. However, the years of experience he had accumulated from doing business still calmed him down. ¡°Honorable Sir, what can I do for you?¡± As he spoke, his beard trembled, and his two pink claws were tightly held in front of his chest. His slender tail swayed weakly. ¡°How much do you know about the Observers? I want to know who they are.¡± Hearing this name, Ramchi could not help but widen his rat eyes. Was that the only question the other party had? At this moment, the pirate Koss shouted at the top of his lungs. ¡°The template was given to me by the Observer! I really don¡¯t know¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you again.¡± Koss was interrupted impatiently before he could finish. It seemed that the person in front of him was serious. After thinking for a moment, Ramchi finally said timidly. ¡°That¡¯s a bunch of strange fellows. No one knows who they are or what they¡¯re thinking¡­¡± Hearing this answer, the atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Ramchi could feel that the other party was very disappointed, as if he was not satisfied with his answer. Oh no¡­ Just as he thought he was going to end up like Koss¡­ ¡°I got it.¡± Then, he turned to look at the pirate who was about to die and said calmly. ¡°Looks like you didn¡¯t lie to me.¡± As he spoke, the man raised his hand. Just as Ramchi thought that the other party was going to let Koss off. ¡°Mr. Ramchi, as compensation for the damage caused to your ship, Mr. Koss promised me that he would compensate you accordingly.¡± These words attracted Ramchi¡¯s attention. However, in the next second, under his extremely terrified gaze. With the sound of bones shattering, Koss¡¯s head was crushed by the mechanical iron claws before he could even let out a wail. Red and white liquid dripped onto the obsidian-like ground and gradually seeped into it. A moment later, the other party¡¯s concerned voice came from the side. ¡­ ¡®Mr. Ramchi, I wonder if you are satisfied with such compensation.¡¯ Chapter 15 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Koss¡¯ body was dumped on the floor, still twitching like a dying fish. Although the other party¡¯s tone was still considered friendly, as a traveling merchant who had traveled half the Milky Way, how could Ramchi not understand the deeper meaning behind it? This was obviously killing lizards for the rats to see. It was a disguised demonstration. ¡°Oh¡­ of course¡­ I¡¯m very satisfied¡­¡± ¡°That idiot totally deserved it¡­¡± As he spoke, he kept rubbing his claws to try to calm himself down. His voice could not help but tremble. Gu Fan, who was sitting at the conference table, was very satisfied when he saw that he was about to be scared silly. This was the effect he wanted. As a merchant traveling through the universe, Gu Fan was certain that this long-haired rat in front of him must know a lot of information that he was interested in. After all, intelligence mastery was the basic skill of a merchant. Unfortunately, he did not have any memory extraction or mental control equipment in his hands. Otherwise, why would he need to use such primitive methods? Wouldn¡¯t it be more convenient to directly stuff it into the machine for gene extraction? This was the case for both sides. ¡°Don¡¯t feel restrained, Mr. Ramchi. Just sit down and talk. There are some things I want to ask you.¡± Staring at the rat who was standing there like a statue, Gu Fan raised his hand and gestured for him to sit opposite him. ¡­ ¡­ Thanks to the previous interlude, this special symposium went exceptionally smoothly. Amidst the questions and answers from both sides, Ramchi honestly told them everything he knew, almost without hesitation. From his words, Gu Fan already had a preliminary understanding of the current Milky Way¡¯s forces. The current universe was controlled by a giant organization called the Galaxy Community. Four of the most powerful civilizations were the executives of the Community, and the Amarian Empire, which had invaded the solar system not long ago, was one of them. At the same time, there were seventy-seven major civilizations below them. As for the primitive civilizations that were not powerful enough or had not even touched the galaxy, their numbers were almost uncountable. Compared to the universe that Gu Fan was once familiar with, the current Milky Way was clearly much livelier. To this day, the galaxy had yet to erupt into a large-scale battle because of the interference of the four executive civilizations. In general, the situation was in a very delicate balance. Beyond the Galaxy Community were the high-level civilizations known as the Lost Empire. These mysterious and powerful forces were indifferent to the current power structure of the universe. For example, the Observer who had bestowed the Piras Pirates with a technological template for unknown purposes. If nothing went wrong, they might be very related to their human compatriots. They were one of the targets that Gu Fan had to pay special attention to. When the conversation was about to end, after hesitating for a while, Gu Fan finally raised the question in his heart to Ramchi. ¡°I want to know what you think of the Human Race.¡± ¡°Human?¡± Hearing this, Ramchi raised his head in confusion and stared at Gu Fan in front of him for a long time. ¡°It¡¯s a race that only exists in myths¡­ According to some legends, they are the creators of this galaxy. Many races that have reproduced until now were created by them.¡± ¡°However, in the religion of the Amarians, humans were described as cruel oppressors. It was said that they had once enslaved the ancestors of the Amarians and most of the races in the Milky Way, and they were ultimately punished by God.¡± God¡¯s punishment¡­ His words reminded Gu Fan of the Wither Disease that had once wreaked havoc in human society, but he obviously did not believe in the so-called divine punishment. After all, the strength of mankind came from the worship of science and the courage to fight against the unknown. As for the religious heresy of the strange power and chaos gods, Gu Fan had always had a disdainful attitude. At this moment, as if he suddenly thought of something, he saw Gu Fan turn sideways and whisper to Xue Feng for a moment. Then, the star map on the bridge lit up. ¡°By the way, I wonder if you know the situation here.¡± As he spoke, his gaze fell on the galaxy displayed in the star map. ¡ªCentaur Alpha. It was the temporary base of the human migratory fleet a thousand years ago that he had learned from the Dragon Gate Factory not long ago. Although Gu Fan had already conducted a detailed search of that star region before this, he still hoped to obtain some different information from the other party. ¡°The 8th Star Zone? There¡¯s nothing there. My spaceship just passed by there last interstellar month. It¡¯s an empty void. There¡¯s nothing valuable there.¡± Gu Fan was not surprised by this answer. He was just a little disappointed. ¡°Thank you. You have given me the information that I need.¡± Seeing that the conversation between the two sides was coming to an end, Ramchi, who was sitting in a chair, suddenly stood up. ¡°Sir¡­¡± This alien¡¯s actions attracted Gu Fan¡¯s attention. At the same time, the iron guards standing beside him were on guard. The ion cannon on his shoulder was already aimed at him. ¡°If possible, the Ram Chamber of Commerce will be honored to reach a long-term cooperation agreement with you¡­¡± This was the name of the other party¡¯s race. In the tradition of the Ram race, only those with enough prestige could add the name of their race to their name, and this was the origin of the name Ramchi. As an experienced businessman, Ramchi sensed a huge opportunity from the other party, although he knew very well that in the other party¡¯s eyes, he and his race were just laughable ants. Making a request for cooperation in a situation where the gap between the two sides was so huge was undoubtedly a rather arrogant act. If things went wrong, it might even anger the other party and bring disaster to himself and his race. However, after carefully weighing the pros and cons behind this, Ramchi still followed his intuition and made such a request. Surprisingly, the other party did not seem to resist his request. Instead, he seemed to be interested. ¡°I want to know what you and your chamber of commerce can bring me.¡± At this moment, Ramchi could not believe his ears. Then, he revealed the contents of the cooperation with the chamber of commerce excitedly as if he was reciting a book. ¡°Trade orders that are affordable, as well as any information that can be made public, you will enjoy the highest priority as a VIP customer of the entire Trade Federation¡­¡± It was as if he felt that the terms of these standards were not enough to attract the attention of an advanced civilization like the other party. After pausing for a moment. ¡°In addition, the chamber of commerce can use their personal connections to list you as a VIP of Soma No. 4.¡± At this point, Ramchi rubbed his hands excitedly. ¡°That¡¯s the trade center of the entire 7th Star Zone. With your status as a VIP, you can get almost everything you want there¡­¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, you should be able to get information about the Observer from the planetary governor of Soma No. 4.¡± Gu Fan found his suggestion rather interesting, but he could only hear him change the topic. ¡°Well, what do you and your chamber of commerce want from me?¡± Ramchi fell silent, but only for a moment¡­ ¡°A chance¡­¡± ¡°A chance that could change everything.¡± ¡°Deep in my gut, a voice is telling me that you are the one.¡± As he spoke, a light flashed in his small eyes, and Gu Fan keenly caught it. It was a look of madness in his eyes. ¡­ ¡­ After an unknown period of time, when Ramchi was sent back to his clansmen, his trusted aides surrounded him immediately. ¡°What did those guys do to you?¡± Amidst the rats, Ramchi¡¯s expression was very solemn. Facing the concern of his clansmen, he said calmly. ¡°I might have made a deal with the devil¡­¡± However, after pausing for a moment, he turned his gaze to the sky. ¡°But I don¡¯t regret it.¡± Chapter 16 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios As the teleportation array flashed, the short alien merchant, who looked like a jumping rat, was sent back to the surface of the planet. Before he left, he left the communication channel code of the Trade Federation so that Gu Fan could join it at any time. At this moment, he was sitting at the conference table and studying the rectangular object in his palm with interest. It was only half the size of a palm. This thing was very light and almost could not feel its weight. Its entire body emitted a golden luster, like a dazzling energy crystal. There was no doubt that this was a genuine technological template. However, the main data in it was still sealed. The pirates only treated it as a portable hard drive that could be carried around. Clearly, those single-celled creatures that were like grassworms did not understand the true value of the template. Not long after, Gu Fan stood up and walked towards the battleship¡¯s central control computer. After making some simple adjustments to the system, he slowly moved the template in his hand closer to the computer¡¯s data interface. As if reacting, the light inside the template became more and more dazzling. In the next moment, the originally solid template began to decompose itself, turning into wisps of golden data that drilled into the equipment in front of it. In fact, this was the true appearance of the template. It was a collection of tens of billions of nanomachines that recorded different data. These nanomachines could quickly identify the actual situation of the target carrier and perfectly implant the stored information in the body into any model of system and equipment through a reasonable arrangement, achieving absolute compatibility. As for the crystal-like shape earlier, it was actually a self-protection program of the template. When the carrier carrying the data lost its energy source and the connection to the network, these nanotechnology machines would quickly gather and enter a dormant state, becoming a solid form that was easy to carry. In this form, the template would almost not suffer external damage and could be preserved in a dangerous environment for a long time. [Template C238 has been successfully loaded¡­] [Optimizing production array¡­] Looking at the constantly changing data on the screen, as an engineering technology template, apart from being able to unlock new technologies, the production logic stored in the template was also adjusting and sorting out the production chain of the Glory Queen, allowing the production department of the battleship to produce more efficiently. This was actually its true essence. After everything was over, he checked the production department¡¯s database. As expected, there were a few new production plans in the originally blank technology bank. [Heavy Particle Traction Beam¡­ Added] [Engineering Collection Ship¡­ Added] [Engineering Machine Servant¡­ Added] [Basic Building Blueprint¡­ Added] Looking at the newly unlocked technology, Gu Fan could not believe his luck. Although it was only some basic units, he could not deny the importance of these things. The tractor beam can increase the efficiency of resource acquisition for engineering equipment. An engineering ship was an indispensable space construction and collection unit. As for the mechanical servants, they were a type of infrastructure unit that was suitable for the ground. This template contained a set of seed technology that included collection and construction. With the help of these technologies, under the right conditions and with the newly obtained blueprint, Gu Fan could even build a new home for humans from scratch. Just as he was still immersed in his beautiful fantasy of the future, he saw the tall bodyguard-type iron man dragging the corpse of the pirate Koss towards the core cabin. If nothing went wrong, it would not be long before this pile of organic matter would be fed into the power furnace of the warship. After being decomposed into elementary particles by the flowing energy inside, it would be converted into new energy replenishment by the power furnace through mass energy, thus displaying its final value. In theory, any substance could be used to feed this gluttonous giant ship. As long as time allowed, she could even eat an entire planet. Although there was no practical meaning in doing so, the energy obtained through decomposition was just a drop in the bucket, but it could still play an emergency role in some extreme situations. At this moment, when Gu Fan turned around, he saw Xue Feng silently watching him from the corner of his eye. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± He turned his chair so that he could talk to Xue Feng face to face. At this moment, Xue Feng¡¯s expression looked a bit strange, as if she had something to say. ¡°Something about the cooperation, I presume?¡± According to the agreement with the representative of the Chamber of Commerce, Ramchi, not long ago, Gu Fan had to maintain a friendly attitude with the Ram Chamber Of Commerce for the next five years. At the same time, he had to prioritize trading with the Ramchi Chamber of Commerce. At the same time, in exchange, the Ram Chamber Of Commerce would provide information sharing for Gu Fan, as well as VIP privileges and Soma No. 4¡¯s VIP status. It was said that it was the largest trading center in the vicinity. If things went smoothly, he could obtain a lot of information from it. In front of him, Xue Feng nodded seriously. ¡°According to my judgment, the other party doesn¡¯t have the strength to be a partner.¡± Hearing this, Gu Fan thoughtfully shifted his gaze to the side and looked at the empty combat command hall. He placed a hand on the armrest of his chair. ¡°Remember what I said?¡± ¡°My wish is to return to my compatriots and return to the glorious era that once belonged to humanity.¡± ¡°Perhaps it still exists, somewhere in this universe.¡± As he spoke, his gaze was so calm that his firm voice echoed in the empty hall. ¡°But if it really doesn¡¯t exist anymore, I¡¯ll start rebuilding it and continue to fulfill my duty as a soldier to protect its glory.¡± ¡°Therefore, before this, as long as any faction¡¯s existence is helpful to this goal, before their value completely disappears, I can maintain cooperation with them, no matter who they are or how strong they are.¡± ¡°Until the revival of civilization, there only exists handy tools and targets that I need to be wary of and eliminate in this universe.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Fan looked at Xue Feng in front of him again. Xue Feng lowered her head silently, as if she was thinking about something. After a moment of silence, she raised her head again and looked at him expectantly with her wine-red eyes. ¡°So to you, am I a handy tool now?¡± Chapter 17 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Xue Feng¡¯s words surprised Gu Fan. He had planned to answer truthfully. However, just as he was about to blurt out the word, he stared at the other party¡¯s glass-like pupils. In the end, he changed his mind. ¡°You are who you are, not a tool, and certainly not anything else.¡± Gu Fan¡¯s words made Xue Feng raise his head in confusion. In her logic program, such an evaluation was really difficult to understand. After a moment, she said carefully, her expression filled with worry. ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s not important. You just have to remember what I said.¡± Hearing this, Xue Feng nodded as if he understood. ¡°Confirmed. The conversation just now has been recorded and stored.¡± At this moment, a low mechanical voice came from the communicator not far away. ¡°Reporting, the third stage of cleaning has been completed.¡± The reporter was the captain of the Iron Guards team who was executing this ground operation. After completing the overall strategic deployment, Gu Fan handed over the remaining targets to these robots that were in charge of relay commands. As for himself, he focused on the two warlord-level Titans. Under the multiple rounds of bombardment from the two volcanic cannons, a large number of pirates flew into the sky together with their ridiculous fortifications and armor. Currently, there were still five teams cleaning the various pirate gathering places on the surface. After all, the other party was only a group of pirates from a Level 2 Civilization. The overall progress could be said to be quite smooth. Gu Fan was very satisfied with such news, and what the other party said next piqued his interest. ¡°In addition, we have discovered the pirates¡¯ warehouse. Please indicate how to deal with it.¡± ¡°Needless to say, I¡¯ll have the engineering ship land near your team. Take as much as you can. Anyway, they don¡¯t need these things anymore.¡± ¡°But we have to be quick. I don¡¯t want any troublemakers to appear.¡± At this moment, the huge hull of the Glory Queen was docked in the low orbit of the planet. According to the Ram Chamber Of Commerce, this was the base camp of the Piras Pirates and it belonged to the wild 7th Star Region. As they were close to the trading center known as Soma No. 4, some bold merchants would choose to pay a large sum of star coins to the local pirates in exchange for a long-term fast passage. However, pirates were pirates after all. It was better to believe in a dog than to believe in them. What happened to the Ram people was the best example. Thinking of this, Gu Fan¡¯s gaze shifted to the holographic screen in the hall. The image received by the sensors had already been projected into it. Other than the progress of the various teams, the center of the projection showed the information of the Ram people. It had to be said that these rat-like aliens were quite interesting. In the video, the rats brought out all kinds of strange equipment from the crashed spaceship. For example, a few rat generators that looked like tyres which needed a few rats to run at full speed to generate electricity. At the same time, these little things were especially proficient in inventions. Using the engine of the tank and the abandoned parts left behind by the pirates, they actually made a crooked moving Mech from the ruins. Due to the fact that some parts did not match in length and size, these rats even used their own hands to use their two small claws to pull the cables and parts. They treated themselves as one of the parts to cooperate with the pilot to barely ensure the operation of the Mech. It had to be said that the technological level of these Ram people was really impressive. Overall, they were in a developed and primitive state. Other than being ridiculous, Gu Fan could not think of any other words. ¡­ ¡­ Not long after, as the engineering ships sent to the surface of the planet returned to the deck of the warship one by one, other than the rows of iron soldiers, the wealth that originally belonged to the Pirate Clan was also packed up and brought back. Looking at the dazzling spoils of war that were gradually piled up on the deck by the iron guards, although most of them were just some unqualified trash, Gu Fan gradually felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart. He began to gradually understand the mood of the pirates. At the same time, two undamaged small frigates returned with them. They were the spoils of war that the pirates had plundered from other races and were docked in a corner of the deck. Just as Gu Fan was curiously playing with the strange spoils of war, he saw that Xue Feng had already followed him. Perhaps it was because she was quiet to begin with, but the gray-haired girl was like an elegant white cat. She would often make others unintentionally ignore her existence until the moment she spoke. ¡°May I ask what the next plan is¡­¡± Upon hearing the question, Gu Fan retracted his attention slightly. At this moment, he was holding a rather violent modified chainsword in his hand. This was a melee equipment similar to a chainsaw. In the past, the Human Empire had also equipped similar weapons on a large scale. Facing the rapidly spinning blades, most enemies would be awakened from the primal fear in their hearts. ¡°Soma No. 4, I¡¯m very interested in that place. I can sell this pile of trash and exchange it for some necessary supplies.¡± ¡°If I¡¯m lucky enough, I might be able to obtain information about Observers or other humans.¡± As he spoke, he had already lost interest in the toy in his hand and casually threw it aside. As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Feng stepped forward and expressed her opinion. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t think this is a reasonable judgment. In the chaotic environment, it will be very difficult for the warships and the iron guards to provide support and protection for you.¡± ¡°As the last human alive, I have an obligation to use all means to ensure your safety. In my opinion, you shouldn¡¯t leave the warship at will.¡± According to Ramchi¡¯s description not long ago, as a trade center under the control of Huan Yu Enterprise. Due to its special geographical location, the internal forces of Soma No. 4 could be said to be complicated. Dangerous games involving interests and power played almost every day in that huge planet city. Being in such a complicated and unfamiliar environment, his personal safety was obviously an unknown factor. Moreover, Gu Fan could not bring those iron guards with him at all times. After all, it was too conspicuous. As for Xue Feng, as an AI commander, her individual combat ability was not outstanding. In conclusion, Xue Feng¡¯s worries didn¡¯t sound unreasonable. However, Gu Fan clearly had his own considerations regarding this. ¡°I¡¯m not a prisoner trapped in a cage, but at the same time, I won¡¯t easily put myself in danger.¡± ¡°Therefore, before we reach Soma No. 4, I need to make some preparations.¡± As he spoke, he slowly shifted his gaze to the two frigates that he had captured from the pirates. It was obvious that he had already made up his mind. Chapter 18 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios In 7th Star Zone, at the border of Soma Star Region, merchant ships were wandering between the routes like migrating beasts. At the end of the routes was a commercial planet called Soma No. 4. Every drop of seawater had been drained from the former marine planet. Layers of nest cities occupied almost every surface of the planet and even filled the originally bottomless trench. Due to its high city coverage, apart from the upper VIP area and some middle nests, most of the lower and lower residents could only live in darkness that even the light of the stars could not see. Under the operation of Huan Yu Enterprise, which had capital all over the Milky Way, this was the paradise that businessmen yearned for. It was a golden land that led to the path of wealth. An elite paradise that valued everything in terms of capital benefits. ¡­ In the commercial star port at the border, it was time for the employees to change shifts. The canteen was broadcasting today¡¯s headline news, and the host from the Voice of Reason production team was shouting in a passionate voice. ¡°Big news! The conspiracy of the low-level thugs has been shattered again! The glory belongs to the great board of directors of the Huan Yu Enterprise!¡± Upon hearing this, the fox-like customs employees at the dining table seemed to be instantly energized. They pricked up their ears and waited for the next announcement. ¡°Next, we will announce the results of today¡¯s death lottery! In the suppression operation at the bottom yesterday, the glorious military achievements obtained by the corporate soldiers are¡­¡± As the host deliberately lowered his voice, the atmosphere in the canteen became extremely tense. ¡°75 people!¡± In an instant, the employees who were eating protein bars began to get restless. ¡°D*mn it! I was so close!¡± With a bang, a certain unlucky fellow angrily slammed the lottery ticket in his hand on the table. His companion, who was gloating, came over. One could see the number [73] written on it. It was the number of results he had bet on the corporate soldiers. Clearly, he had just missed a big prize. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that you have missed out by only two people.¡± As he spoke, he patted the other party¡¯s shoulder, indicating that he should let it go. At this moment, the heater in the corner of the dining table suddenly sent out a notification that there was insufficient balance. At the same time, a 60-second countdown appeared in the middle of the screen. The employee knew that if he did not recharge the heater in time, his lunch would be sent to the trash can connected to it when the countdown ended. Not only did it cost money to heat up food, but everyone born in Soma Star Region was treated as the company¡¯s property from the moment they landed. Everything from now on could be said to revolve around the number of balances. It was no exaggeration to say that even every breath of air inhaled here was charged. ¡°Those damned Sivir people¡­¡± ¡°If they worked harder, the lottery¡¯s bonus will be mine. That money is enough for me to repay the debt of 77 years.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only 77 years. How much do you owe the company?¡± Facing his companion¡¯s question, after recharging the heater on the side, he said casually without a care in the world. ¡°200 years.¡± At this moment, the director¡¯s strange roar came from the radio. ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°Kai Xiu! Hurry up and get to VIP Room No. 3! If you dare to be late, I¡¯ll fire you tomorrow!¡± Listening to the sharp voice that sounded like he was pinching his nose, the employee named Casio sighed. Then, he pushed the lunch box he had just taken out from the heater to his companion. ¡°It¡¯s for you.¡± Just as he was about to leave, he seemed to have thought of something. ¡°By the way, buy a lottery ticket for me for the next one. I will still bet on 73 people.¡± ¡­ ¡­ After walking down the long corridor and standing in front of the luxuriously decorated VIP room, Casio straightened his tie again. He knew that he was about to face a VIP client of the company. As a guide, he could not afford to make even the smallest mistake. After all, the mood of these big clients would deeply affect his future. After taking a deep breath, Casio solemnly pushed open the door in front of him. What appeared in his sight was an extremely luxurious reception room. In the comfortable environment, the fragrance of expensive Sumerian fruit wine wafted in the air. Usually, the supervisor only takes it out when he is entertaining the most special VIP. ¡°Kid! Why are you so late?¡± The moment he entered the room, the supervisor who had been impatient since a long time ago rushed over. His soft head that looked like an octopus had already swelled up from anger. With the help of his peripheral vision, Casio secretly looked at the soft seat in front of him. The first person he saw was a familiar figure. Sitting at the side was the leader of the Ram Chamber Of Commerce, Ramchi, who was privately known as the ratman. However, judging from the other party¡¯s slightly fearful expression, the main character that needed to be received this time did not seem to be him. ¡°Squeak¡­ Boss, do you have anything else to say¡­¡± Unexpectedly, the once arrogant leader of the chamber of commerce was now as timid as a lamb. Even his words were careful, as if he was afraid that the other party would eat him. It had to be said that this was really a strange phenomenon. ¡°Nothing, so can we go now?¡± The speaker was a young male. He wore a rather ceremonial gray cape, and his face, hidden under the hood, was covered by a featureless white mask. There was a dark golden star and moon cross hanging in front of his chest. From his first impression, he looked like a religious person. Beside the man, there was a young girl in the same outfit. Judging from her hairless and smooth skin, the two of them seemed to be Amarians from the north of the Milky Way. If nothing went wrong, they should be nobles from the Amar Empire. Faced with the questions raised by the esteemed guest, the supervisor did not dare to neglect the introduction. ¡°Of course¡­ This is the receptionist who¡¯s in charge of the guidance. His name is Casio.¡± As he spoke, Casio bowed slightly to show his respect. For some reason, when he looked at the white mask on the other party¡¯s face, he felt an inexplicable chill in his heart. A moment later, the young man sitting in the middle stood up and walked to Casio unhurriedly. ¡°I¡¯m very interested in Soma No. 4. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to lead the way in the future, Mr. Casio.¡± ¡°By the way, you can call me Gu Fan.¡± Gu Fan? What a strange name. What surprised Casio was that there seemed to be some kind of special magic in the other party¡¯s voice, making people involuntarily feel a strange sense of trust. Through the white mask, he could feel that the other party was watching him. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s my honor¡­¡± ¡­ ¡­ At this moment, Casio didn¡¯t know that Gu Fan was actually quite interested in him. After all, this was the first time he had seen a fox that could speak and walk upright. This could not help but make Gu Fan suspicious. Could it be that after humans encountered a crisis, the animals in the zoo went to heaven one after another? Lizards, rats, octopuses, and foxes. He really could not be sure what he would encounter next. Based on the current situation, this universe might be more interesting than he had imagined. Chapter 19 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Not long after, Gu Fan and the others left the VIP room under Casio¡¯s lead. Only when their figures completely disappeared at the end of the corridor did the soft-headed harbor district supervisor slowly put away the smile on his face. After some thought, he took out his communicator from his uniform pocket and dialed a number nervously. ¡°Sir, those pirates have failed. Ramchi has just returned to Soma.¡± On the other end of the communicator, other than the regular noise of the mechanical bearings turning, there was no other sound. ¡°In addition, he also brought two strange guests. They should be from the Amarian Empire.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, a slightly puzzled electronic voice came from the other end of the communication. ¡°Amarians?¡± As if surprised by such news, there was a tense silence. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll handle the rest. You just have to keep an eye on Ramchi for me.¡± ¡°Yes, as you wish, sir.¡± ¡­ ¡­ This was really an incredible place¡­ Sitting in the luxurious shuttle, Gu Fan and the others quickly arrived above Soma No. 4. Through the window, what was displayed in front of him was an extremely luxurious entertainment venue. As far as the eye could see, the brightly lit streets were like colorful capillaries extending to every corner of this planetary city. In the center of the city, a huge holographic projection was projecting the graceful figure of the foreign dancers into the bright night sky of the city. Around the projection, advertisements from the XX Chamber of Commerce and XX were constantly scrolling. ¡°We¡¯re passing by the largest genetic clinic in Soma No. 4. This place has the most exquisite genetic modification technology in the entire 7th Star Zone.¡± ¡°The bird¡¯s nest-like building beside it is the Soma Central Mall. It¡¯s the largest market in the entire Soma No. 4. Even large goods like battleships can be traded there.¡± At the side, Casio, who was the guide, introduced the facilities along the way as smoothly as if he was reciting a book. It was obvious that he was already familiar with them. As the entire Soma No. 4 was actually a planetary-level city, the road layout inside was as complicated as a maze even for the locals who had lived there for many years. Therefore, when receiving important guests, for various reasons, an exclusive guide was naturally indispensable. Apart from providing guidance services to the guests, these trained professionals would also try their best to figure out the mentality of the guests so that they could open the guests¡¯ money bags more readily and make the greatest contribution to Soma No. 4¡¯s GDP. Looking at the neon street along the way and the various spaceships coming and going, it brought back some memories for Gu Fan. In the past, in order to keep up with the increasing volume of transactions on Mars, the Mars government even funded the construction of two world rings in low-Earth orbit, directly expanding the business from the ground to the sky. Although it was still inferior to the Mars market in the past, in Gu Fan¡¯s opinion, these merchants living in the Soma Star Zone had already managed this place quite well. At the very least, they seemed to be quite rich. This time, under Ramchi¡¯s suggestion, the big shot they were about to meet was the governor of this planet, Wilm. At the same time, the other party was also a director of Kyla Corporation. Even in the entire Huan Yu Enterprise, the power he had was one of the top few. Since that was the case, that guy must have a lot of information that ordinary people could not access. This was one of Gu Fan¡¯s goals this time. Thinking of this, he silently shifted his gaze into the distance and looked at the huge building above the city that was like a floating island. Anticipation gradually appeared in his heart. In order to ensure the smoothest of this trip, Gu Fan specially chose some special equipment for himself and Xue Feng from the Glory Queen¡¯s armory. For example, the curtainwalker cloaks worn by the two of them could completely obscure the existence of the wearer for a certain period of time. The white mask, on the other hand, could not only cover one¡¯s features, but it also had the effect of psionic protection, which could minimize the effects of those disgusting psionic beings on one¡¯s body. Psionic energy was a special power that originated from the spiritual level. It had once caused a lot of trouble for the Human Race who had no talent at all. For this reason, the human scholars had put in a lot of effort to protect themselves against Psionic Energy. As for the cross necklace on Gu Fan¡¯s chest, it was the most important thing this time. Simply put, it was a Void Shield generator that could be carried around. The sensors inside it could automatically detect anything that attacked at a dangerous speed and apply a warship-level defense to the wearer. At the same time, when they were about to set off, Gu Fan specially modified the frigate that he had seized from the pirates on a large scale. After dismantling a precious Valkyrie gunship, he transplanted some of the advanced modules into the old system of the spaceship. Finally, with the help of Xue Feng¡¯s program, the old spaceship finally managed to support everything. At this moment, under Gu Fan¡¯s arrangements, the modified frigate had bypassed the customs detection and hid in the satellite orbit near Soma No. 4 for emergencies. It could be said that Gu Fan had made complete preparations for this trip. Not long after, the shuttle was rising at a relatively stable speed towards the floating artificial island. At the side, Ramchi was sitting quietly in the chair specially prepared for the Ramans. He had been staring at the floating news on the table since the beginning. From time to time, he would use his small claws to drag some interesting information, looking very comical. A moment later, with a slight tremble in the cabin, the spaceship finally landed steadily. Outside the window, compared to the hustle and bustle of the city below, this place was much quieter. As far as the eye could see, the entire floating island was covered by all kinds of carefully cultivated plants. Not far away, there were more than ten scattered manor buildings. According to Ramchi, this was the top floor of Soma No. 4. It was a place for those adults to live and rest. As the door of the spaceship slowly opened, dozens of well-equipped and well-trained corporate soldiers were already waiting on the tarmac outside the door. In front of the guards was a mechanical body that was as tall as a person. It looked very slender, and its entire body had a dark silver luster. Just as Gu Fan was still observing the situation in front of him, Ramchi, who was at the side, took the lead to welcome the strange machine. ¡°Squeak! Mr. Wilm, it¡¯s a pleasure to see you.¡± Wilm? Hearing this familiar name, Gu Fan cast his gaze at the strange Mech again and began to examine it carefully. Could it be that the governor of this planet was actually a mechanical species? Originally, Gu Fan had envisioned many scenarios for this meeting along the way, including the possible dialogue between the two sides and the general process of the conversation. However, from the looks of it, he had clearly been a little lacking in consideration. If he had known earlier, he would have asked more¡­ After all, he was not good at communicating with a machine. Chapter 20 - Actor Chapter 20 Actor ¡°Welcome.¡± Surprisingly, a polite voice came from the seemingly cold mechanical body. Due to the disparity in status, Casio, as a guide, had already tactfully retreated to the side. He knew that such an occasion wasn¡¯t something a small fry like him could participate in. All he could do was stay here and wait for the meeting between these big shots to end. Before that, he could not go anywhere. ¡°Mr. Ramchi, may I know who these two are?¡± After a moment, Wilm began to examine the two strangers in front of him with his strange mechanical head. It was not difficult to tell from his slightly brisk tone that he was very interested. ¡°They¡¯re guests¡­ The most distinguished guests of the Ram Chamber Of Commerce¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Gu Fan and Miss Xue Feng¡­¡± ¡°Is that so? Since they¡¯re esteemed guests, I sincerely welcome you two on behalf of Kyla Corporation.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the tall mechanical creature nodded slightly at the two people in front of it to show respect. As he spoke, a few rays of emerald green light slowly seeped out from the seams of the armor, attracting Gu Fan¡¯s attention. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Mr. Wilm.¡± After ending the symbolic greeting, Gu Fan changed the topic. ¡°Pardon me for asking, but Mr. Wilm isn¡¯t a robot, is he?¡± Hearing such a question, the other party was stunned for a moment before he gradually laughed and said jokingly. ¡°I thought everyone knew about this. I¡¯m sorry you had to see this ugly state.¡± ¡°As you said, this is just a carrier for me, a life-support device that¡¯s not very comfortable.¡± As he spoke, he tapped his chest lightly with his claws. ¡°Ever since we ran out of spiritual energy, most of us poor ghosts who rely on spiritual energy to survive can only survive like this.¡± Spiritual energy was exhausted? When did this happen? Gu Fan was somewhat surprised by the news. For some races that relied on spiritual energy to survive, losing spiritual energy was like a fish losing water. If that was true, then wouldn¡¯t the Ancient Saints and Star Gods, who had once relied heavily on spiritual energy, also be greatly affected? ¡°In that case, please come to my manor as guests. This is not a place to talk.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, a luxurious hover car stopped behind Wilm. ¡°There are some things that I hope to discuss with you in greater detail.¡± Mechanical Ascension. It was obvious that Wilm had used this technique for himself. It was not technically difficult to permanently install one¡¯s original consciousness into a set of mechanical equipment. It could even be said to be a relatively backward technology. Although it sounded like a mechanical body could bring a lot of benefits, in the past human countries, unless it was absolutely necessary, it was definitely not a wise move. Due to the repulsion between consciousness and an unfamiliar body, apart from a small number of people, most converts would develop serious mental illnesses for a period of time. They would stubbornly believe that they were trapped in a narrow ¡°box¡± and lose their ability to sense the outside world, causing their mental state to eventually collapse. Similar situations also happened to some converters who used biochemical humans as carriers. Therefore, more scientific and easy-to-control genetic modification techniques have always been the first choice for humans to achieve self-surpassing in the past. Unfortunately, even so, the humans still couldn¡¯t escape the special disease called Wither Disease. In front of it, everything was so powerless. Not long after, as the speeding car quickly approached a wall made of shrubs, just as it was about to collide, the wall gradually disappeared from the spot. Behind the phantom wall was Wilm¡¯s mansion. As the phantom disappeared, the gorgeous palace-like building appeared in everyone¡¯s line of sight. Just as the car was about to drive into the courtyard, Wilm suddenly asked with concern. ¡°Mr. Ramchi, I heard that your merchant ship was attacked by pirates? Did you suffer serious losses?¡± The moment he heard this, Gu Fan saw from the corner of his eye that the corner of Ramchi¡¯s mouth twitched, and even his whiskers trembled. However, he quickly adjusted his state and said with a smile. ¡°Thank you for your concern, but I¡¯ve been badly harmed by those fools this time¡­¡± As he spoke, Ramchi sighed slightly. Then, his eyes widened and his previous weakness disappeared. ¡°Those damn fools! They knew that you wanted this batch of goods, but they still didn¡¯t show any mercy. ¡°Fortunately, it was delivered in time. Otherwise, the penalty would have been enough to bankrupt my Chamber of Commerce.¡± As he spoke, he shifted his gaze to Wilm, who was listening. After hearing Ramchi¡¯s indignant complaint, ¡°Heh, what a bunch of greedy fellows.¡± ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time to teach them a lesson. We have to let them understand who¡¯s the leader of the 7th Star Zone.¡± There was an imperceptible anger in Wilm¡¯s words, but just as he finished speaking. ¡°Sir, in the short term, I¡¯m afraid those pirates can no longer pose a threat to the Soma Star Region¡¯s trade route.¡± Ramchi said unhurriedly, but his words instantly froze the air in the car. When the car stopped in front of the mansion, Wilm was speechless for a long time. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What does that mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Mr. Gu Fan. He saved me from those pirates and taught those damn pests a lesson.¡± ¡°In order to repay this favor, the Ram Chamber Of Commerce has already listed Mr. Gu Fan as the number one VIP. I came this time because I hope to introduce him to you.¡± The moment he heard this, Wilm, who was sitting opposite him, fell silent again. Occasionally, emerald green light could be seen flowing slowly in his body. At this moment, Xue Feng¡¯s voice came from the receiver that Gu Fan was wearing. [He looks very angry. I can read similar emotions in his program.] In order to facilitate communication between the two of them, the two of them wore induction communication devices at the same time under Xue Feng¡¯s suggestion before they set off. This way, they could communicate with each other without outsiders noticing. [It¡¯s just an extremely childish game of benefits. What I¡¯m more unhappy about is that that guy actually used us as his chips.] [Do you need me to kill him?] Hearing this, Gu Fan glanced at the other party and complained weakly. [There¡¯s no need.] [Are you a berserker¡­] Chapter 21 - Civilization Successor Chapter 21 Civilization Successor ¡°This is really¡­¡± After feeling a little emotional, Wilm said thoughtfully. ¡°You¡¯re really making me more and more interested, Mr. Gu Fan.¡± At this moment, the door of the mansion at the side was slowly opening from the outside to the inside. As the view gradually widened, what appeared in front of everyone was a luxurious hall. When people really entered the mansion and strolled through the velvet-covered hall, a peaceful and sacred atmosphere began to slowly rise in Gu Fan¡¯s heart. It felt like he was in an ancient and sacred church. Perhaps it was related to Wilm¡¯s former identity as a psionic race, but everything here showed the personal beliefs of the owner of the house. What surprised Gu Fan was that the interior of the mansion was decorated in a rather sophisticated style. It was actually very similar to the medieval Gothic architecture of the ancient times of mankind. Everything seemed to indicate that this guy named Wilm must know something. Just as Gu Fan was admiring his surroundings with interest, a thin figure not far away suddenly attracted his attention. The person was wearing an inconspicuous beige robe. At this moment, she was holding a kettle and watering the flower pot in front of the corridor. From her figure, she should be a young woman. If he was not wrong, she was a servant of this mansion. A moment later, as if sensing that someone was watching him, the two cat ears on the other party¡¯s head turned slightly before carefully turning around. Eh? A real cat girl? Looking at her little face that looked like a human and a cat, Gu Fan only felt that it was quite interesting and could not help but take a few more glances. However, as if she was afraid of being discovered, the young maid quickly turned her face away after glancing at the group of people behind her from the corner of her eye. It was obvious that she did not dare to make eye contact with the people. It was also at this moment that Gu Fan saw the black collar on the other party¡¯s neck for the first time. There was no doubt that it was the symbol of a slave. The next second, when he turned around, he realized that Wilm was looking at him silently not far away. Soon, the group passed through the long corridor and arrived at the meeting room in the mansion. When everyone sat around the round table in the middle of the meeting, Wilm, as the host, spoke first. ¡°Mr. Ramchi, you¡¯ve worked hard on this transportation contract. Other than you, I don¡¯t know anyone else who can complete the mission in such a short time.¡± Upon hearing this, Ramchi forced a smile. ¡°This is all thanks to the company¡¯s special approval of the route for our Ram Chamber Of Commerce. In the end, it¡¯s all thanks to the company.¡± Although the Trade Federation and Huan Yu Enterprise were both business-oriented alliances, one side was flexible in trading while the other was good at regional monopolies. Driven by common interests, the two parties that had reached an agreement were using their own specialties to wantonly absorb the astronomical wealth from all over the universe. Looking at the two people talking in front of him, Gu Fan could not help but think of a term that often appeared in human society. Big capitalists were probably referring to existences like them. The conversation between the two of them lasted for a while. Just as Gu Fan was still listening and sorting out information that was useful to him, Suddenly, Ramchi mentioned his name. ¡°By the way, Mr. Gu Fan said before he came that he wanted to talk to you personally.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± As he spoke, the two leaders had already cast their gazes over. Gu Fan was already prepared. He spoke unhurriedly and then reached his right hand into the pocket of his shirt. ¡°Mr. Wilm, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like you to firm up for me. I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re an expert in this area.¡± Soon, he took out a special device that was only the size of a thumb and looked like an hourglass. Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be a mini black hole sealed in the center of the two triangular cones. Occasionally, black lightning would flash around it. The moment he saw that thing, Ramchi¡¯s eyes lit up. If Wilm hadn¡¯t been there, he would have been drooling. ¡°This¡­ is an artificial black hole that has been compressed to the extreme?¡± ¡°Lord God, where did you get this thing?¡± Hearing the other party¡¯s shocked tone, Gu Fan knew that his luck was not bad. In fact, he had dismantled this thing from the Glory Queen¡¯s missile storage. Other than the core component of the Black Hole Missile in his hand, he had also brought many strange gadgets with him. The specific origins were roughly the same. In short, they were dismantled. Just in case the other party didn¡¯t like it, he had other treasures that he could take out. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re very satisfied. If I say that I want to sell this thing to you, how much do you think it will be worth?¡± Faced with such a question, Wilm¡¯s mechanical head was obviously stunned. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ This thing is too precious. It¡¯s said that just a stable man-made black hole can produce enough energy for a planet.¡± ¡°If you insist on giving an estimate, it can probably be estimated to be more than 10 billion star coins.¡± At this moment, Gu Fan was also shocked. This was the first time he knew that this thing was actually so valuable in the eyes of outsiders. So, in order to eliminate those pirates, he had poured out a few trillions of wealth? F*ck, this was not as simple as a loss¡­ It was a huge loss¡­ Moreover, could this thing be used as a generator? He was not sure if the other party was really accurate. In the end, he adjusted his awkward mood. ¡°In that case, I wonder if this thing can be exchanged for information about the Observer.¡± He placed the missile core on the table and pushed it in Wilm¡¯s direction. For a moment, the small meeting room fell into a long silence. It was obvious that Wilm was in a dilemma, but in the end, under the temptation of the treasure¡­ ¡°Alright¡­ This is indeed a good deal. What do you want to know?¡± Hearing that the other party had relented, Ramchi, who was at the side, instantly became interested and pricked up his ears. After all, he didn¡¯t want to miss out on this precious information worth ten billion star coins. ¡°I want to know who they are and where they are.¡± ¡°As well as how I can find them.¡± Faced with this series of questions, Wilm thought for a moment. ¡°I just happen to know some rumors about them. It¡¯s said that they were once test officers created by humans.¡± ¡°The goal is to find a suitable successor from the Milky Way.¡± These words clearly piqued Gu Fan¡¯s interest. ¡°Successor? What exactly do you mean?¡± But what the other party said next made him fall silent. ¡°Successor of the Human Civilization,¡± Chapter 22 - Preparations Before Departure Chapter 22 Preparations Before Departure When ancient civilizations were about to be destroyed, a qualified successor was naturally indispensable in order to allow those precious cultures to continue. Gu Fan felt an indescribable feeling in his heart about everything Wilm had said. To find a suitable successor and test if they could take on this responsibility. If he guessed correctly, the Observers had given the technology template to the Piras Pirates for this purpose, and all of this might also be part of Project Rekindle. Since that was the case, these observers must have a large amount of human technology in their hands. Similarly, the final fate and belonging of their compatriots might also be recorded in their records¡­ The next goal seemed to be very clear, but the problem was how to contact the other party. Seeing that Gu Fan had fallen into a long silence after knowing the answer, Wilm looked very strange. He tapped his finger on the table rhythmically. After a long time, he could not suppress the curiosity in his heart and could not help but speak. ¡°Mr. Gu Fan, can you tell me why you want to know this?¡± Listening to this inexplicable question, the other party¡¯s words clearly had a deeper meaning. However, Gu Fan was not in the mood to figure out the other party at this moment and only replied hastily. ¡°It¡¯s just to satisfy my curiosity. Also, you haven¡¯t told me how to find them.¡± However, the other party only remained silent for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s almost impossible.¡± Upon hearing this, Gu Fan did not say anything. He just quietly waited for the other party to explain. ¡°As far as I know, they live in wormhole space. Unless the right entrance can be found, no one can see them.¡± ¡°There was a spaceship that accidentally visited the Observer¡¯s territory when passing through the wormhole. It¡¯s said that there¡¯s a huge computational array of the size of a star there. I wonder what these guys are planning to do.¡± As he spoke, Wilm¡¯s tone changed again. ¡°However, I heard that they have been appearing quite frequently in the Northern Star Region recently. Perhaps you can try your luck there.¡± Although the answer was still a little unsatisfactory, it was better than not knowing anything. ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s enough.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Wilm could not wait to pay attention to the strange device that was shining like a gem. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, deducting the value of this information, I will buy the artificial black hole in your hand for 1.7 billion star coins. What do you think?¡± It could be seen that he really liked that thing. After a long time, when the two of them walked out of the mansion, Gu Fan was already silently calculating how to spend wantonly in Soma¡¯s market. After all, at this moment, a total of 1.7 billion star currency had already been transferred into his newly established company account. For the rest of the trip, this sum of money was more than enough. ¡°Mr. Gu Fan, I have a gift for you.¡± At this moment, Ramchi¡¯s voice came from behind him, but when he turned around, Well¡­ What was going on??? Behind the short rat, a maid with a good figure was following it. It was the cat-eared girl he had seen in the mansion not long ago. Such a strange combination of cat and mouse really shocked Gu Fan. For a moment, he did not know what to say. A moment later, the girl gradually spoke. ¡°From today onwards, I will be your exclusive slave. Please allow me to serve you as your personal maid¡­¡± Her voice was small, and when she said this, there was no change in her eyes. She looked like a soulless walking corpse. ¡°A rather cute little girl. I guess you¡¯ll like her. Why don¡¯t you bring her along and treat it as having an additional bedmate¡­¡± As he spoke, Ramchi rubbed its little hands and let out a wretched laugh. ¡°After this, I¡¯ll go to the southern Amar Alliance to do some small business. I wonder what your plan is?¡± At this moment, Xue Feng sent a secret message. [There are traces of implants in the subject¡¯s brain. Judging from this, it was forcefully plugged into a personality blockade chip.] As soon as he said that, Gu Fan could not help but glance at the mansion at the side. It seemed that Wilm was planning to use this opportunity to get close to him. Using the implant to control the slaves in his hands was a rather efficient method, although the slaves were not happy about it at all. ¡°I¡¯ll continue to the north. There are many things that I have to confirm personally.¡± ¡°Really? I heard that the situation in the north is not very stable, but I still wish you a safe journey.¡± Looking at the merchant Ramchi in front of him, Gu Fan suddenly asked without any warning. ¡°If there comes a day when I establish my own country and city in this galaxy, I wonder what kind of attitude you and your chamber of commerce will have.¡± Hearing this, almost without thinking, the flower rat in front of him suddenly slapped its claws. ¡°I promise you that the Ram Chamber Of Commerce will definitely provide full support when the time comes.¡± Not long after, Gu Fan¡¯s gaze was fixed on the cat-eared girl in front of him as he sat in the car heading to the tarmac. Upon closer inspection, the other party indeed had many human characteristics like the Amarians. Other than his ears and pupils, the biggest difference between him and humans was the tail behind him. After seeing so many strange races along the way, Gu Fan had already made a judgment in his heart. These races might also be related to the plan called Project Rekindle. If he could bring the girl in front of him back to the Glory Queen, he might be able to determine if she was a man-made species through technical means. She would definitely be a good test subject. [Is there a way to remove the personality obstruction chip?] After sending a sensory communication to Xue Feng, he quickly received a reply. [Of course.] Then, Xue Feng raised his right hand and touched the girl¡¯s forehead with his index finger. -Zi La. Accompanied by the faint sound of electric current, the cat-eared girl suddenly let out a scream. She hugged her head tightly with a painful expression. At the same time, the electronic collar hanging around her neck fell off. It seemed that Xue Feng had damaged the chip in the other party¡¯s brain. Although this might damage the other party¡¯s brain, it was the fastest and most convenient way. Fortunately, it did not take long for the girl to wake up again. When she saw the two mysterious masked people in front of her, her ears instantly crawled down. Clearly, she was shocked by the strange person in front of her. ¡°You are¡­¡± After waiting for a moment and seeing that the other party had regained some of his rationality, Gu Fan immediately threw out his question. ¡°It¡¯s a simple choice. Do you want to stay here or come with me?¡± Hearing such inexplicable words, the girl was clearly unable to react to the current situation. However, when she looked down and saw the broken collar on the ground, A look of surprise appeared on her face. She touched her neck in disbelief. After a few confirmations, she finally believed that the collar had been undone. ¡°If you¡¯re willing to stay here, the shackles on you have been removed. You can leave on your own after this.¡± ¡°If you are willing to follow me, then I promise that you will be a crew member and not a you slave.¡± Facing Gu Fan¡¯s two choices, he only thought for a moment. ¡°Anything is good¡­¡± ¡°As long as I can leave this place, I¡¯m willing to follow you¡­ It was an unsurprising choice. After all, as a simply slave, even if she obtained freedom, it was impossible for her to survive alone in such a world. To be honest, there was only one path in front of her from the beginning. Upon hearing the answer, Gu Fan spread his hands at the other party. ¡°Good. Tell me your name.¡± ¡°Lilym¡­¡± ¡°Lilym of Milos¡­¡± It had to be said that she really lived up to her name. A cute name for a cute girl. However, just as everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly and kindly¡­ What Xue Feng said next almost made Gu Fan vomit blood. [Question: Do you want to set the new member, Lilium, as a bed partner?] In an instant, the atmosphere suddenly became strange. [I think you should seal this word¡­] [It would be great if it could be deleted¡­] Chapter 23 - God? Chapter 23 God? This time, Soma No. 4¡¯s journey was much smoother than expected. Under the guidance of the local named Casio, Gu Fan easily bought the Glory Queen and the supplies that could be used in the long term. In just one night, he had spent more than 800 million star coins in the local market. Even in Soma No. 4, which was filled with tycoons, this was a considerable sum of money. As a result, Gu Fan had no choice but to send out 11 engineering ships docked inside the Glory Queen. After several rounds of transportation, he finally packed all these goods and brought them back to the warehouse. This was naturally not an impulsive consumption. In the warehouse, where there was almost no place to stay, the originally messy goods were being sorted by the engineering servants. Those half-man tall mechanical servants were the basic units unlocked not long ago through the technology template. Their functions could be said to be quite comprehensive. What was important was that they only needed to provide a small amount of insignificant energy, and these mechanical servants could work almost day and night. After realizing how useful these guys were, Gu Fan immediately ordered the factory to add another 200 units. At this moment, he was standing on the hanging corridor above the warehouse and looking down at the busy scene in the warehouse. Like a foreman supervising work, the mobile terminal in his hand was recording the list of supplies that had entered the warehouse this time. What surprised Gu Fan was that apart from the basic resources that could be seen everywhere, his trip to the market had also allowed him to obtain a batch of rare products that were not common. For example, there were a total of 200 units of living metal that could regenerate themselves. Although these were of no use for the time being, it was good to have them in stock. Be it collecting technology templates or searching for traces of Observers and humans. No matter which side it was, it was not something that could achieve results in a short period of time. It was never wrong to be prepared for this. At the thought of this, Gu Fan could not help but sigh. ¡°If only there was a way to build a Sentinel Array¡­¡± The Sentinel Array was a giant space building developed by the human science department and equipped with an ultrasensory radar. Due to its size comparable to that of a satellite, the multilayered detection array inside it was even enough to cover most of the Milky Way. In other words, even if they did not go anywhere, they could let the user know anything that happened in any corner of the galaxy at any time, as if they were cheating. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t. There seemed to be no problem at the warehouse, and the ammunition and energy reserves were in a relatively stable state. Oh right¡­ He wondered if the test results were out yet. Not long after, after roughly inspecting the basic situation of a few important facilities, Gu Fan suddenly remembered that he had brought back a ¡®special good¡¯ from Soma No. 4. At the thought of this, he began to walk towards the medical center at the end of the corridor. However, before he could take a few steps, he heard a few vague whispers in the darkness. ¡°Great Star Creator, please bless your clansmen in the distance¡­¡± ¡°Please grant them the strength to escape the threat of the Great Khan¡­¡± The voice was so weak that if he had not undergone genetic optimization surgery, it would have been difficult to detect its existence. It sounded like the girl named Lilym was praying to her god. After listening for a while, Gu Fan finally put on the mask and walked straight in. As the door of the medical department opened automatically, a slightly crowded room appeared in front of him. In the isolation room in the center, Lilym was kneeling on the medical bed. She looked like a nun who was praying piously. Not long after, perhaps hearing the sound of the door opening, Lilym, who was originally focused on praying, silently raised her head. She was still wearing the servant uniform that she had brought out from Soma No. 4. When she saw Gu Fan appear at the side, she looked a little at a loss. Gu Fan ignored her and walked straight to the medical terminal at the side. At this moment, the various analytical data about Lilym¡¯s body and genes were displayed on the screen. As expected, just as he had guessed, the genes in the girl¡¯s body did show signs of being artificially spliced. However, the strange thing was that the device did not detect any original genes that belonged to humans. Could it be that the other party was not created by humans? This time, he could not help but become interested in Lilym again. Although the other party was still very frightened when he was first sent to the medical department, he was much calmer now. Perhaps this was the power that religion brought to people. Looking at Lilym, who was locked in the isolation room, Gu Fan slowly approached the window. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re getting used to this place.¡± Upon hearing this, the other party did not react. She continued to look at the strange facilities and mechanical arms with drills around her warily. Although she had already explained it to the other party, it was obvious that Lilym did not choose to believe her. In her opinion, this place was like an operating theater used for evil experiments, and she had already become a pitiful test subject. In Lilym¡¯s opinion, there was no turning point. She had just fallen from one hell to another. Looking at the other party¡¯s vigilant gaze, Gu Fan only explained again. ¡°Relax. This is just an isolation medical pod. I only took some blood samples from you. I¡¯ll let you out soon.¡± However, who would have thought that the other party would only lower her head? ¡°Do whatever you want¡­¡± ¡°But please remember that one day, the god we follow will return to this universe.¡± ¡°Then all who have brought us suffering will be punished.¡± Her words really confused Gu Fan. He had clearly explained that this was just a simple physical examination, so why did the other party make it sound like he was about to step onto the execution ground? Could it be that there was a problem with the translation device that caused the other party to misinterpret my meaning? No matter what, this girl did not seem to be very smart. She was more or less stubborn, which made Gu Fan feel a little unhappy. ¡°Gods? If your gods care so much about you, what were they doing while you were a slave?¡± Lilym gradually fell silent in the face of Gu Fan¡¯s question. ¡°They¡¯re just in a deep sleep¡­¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s just an excuse. In my opinion, your god doesn¡¯t care about you at all. Perhaps those bastards have abandoned you long ago.¡± The main reason why Gu Fan was so disdainful of the so-called gods was because of the existence of the Star God. As an ancient race that used psionic energy well, the Star Gods had brought deep suffering to the Human Race more than once. They had once claimed to be gods and deceived the human civilization that was still young at that time. It wasn¡¯t until one day when humanity completely saw through the lies of the Star Gods that the Battle of Heaven happened. The moment she heard this, the girl was completely enraged. She suddenly stood up and bared her teeth at Gu Fan behind the glass. ¡°An unbeliever like you wouldn¡¯t understand!¡± ¡°Our gods are the almighty humans!¡± As Lilym finished speaking¡­ In an instant, the scene suddenly fell silent. Chapter 24 - The Abandoned Stargate Chapter 24 The Abandoned Stargate ¡°God?¡± ¡°How baffling¡­¡± As he spoke, Gu Fan raised his hand and took off the white mask covering his face under the other party¡¯s hostile gaze. Humanity, a race that had once hated gods so much, had now become a new god in the faith that outsiders had shaped. It had to be said that this feeling was really strange. Looking at the other party¡¯s face that was similar to hers, the expression on Lilym¡¯s face instantly froze. Hairless smooth skin¡­ Black pupils as deep as the void¡­ Ears at eye level and, most importantly, a light body without a tail. At this moment, she was stunned. She felt as if she was in a dream. All the characteristics of the other party were actually so similar to the legendary gods. ¡°It¡¯s the Star Creator¡­¡± Seeing the other party call out that strange name in disbelief, Gu Fan only frowned slightly. ¡°There¡¯s no need to call me that. Just call me Gu Fan.¡± Although the process had gone through some small twists and turns, Gu Fan still successfully came to a conclusion in the end. Lilym¡¯s race originated from human genetic modification technology. In this way, it proved that their fellow humans had indeed sown the seeds of civilization in the universe a thousand years ago. According to the inference of time, they should have been threatened by the Wither Disease at that time. In the empty staff canteen, Lilym was looking at the strange-colored nutrition bar in her hand, not knowing where to start. ¡°You mean you and your compatriots used to live in an observation post?¡± As he spoke, Gu Fan, who had been observing for a long time, tore open the skin of the nutrition bar in his hand and took a big bite. ¡°Yes¡­ Star Creator¡­ No, it¡¯s said that humans used to call that place that.¡± As soon as she finished speaking, the girl named Lilym began to follow suit. According to the other party, her race had been living in a human observation post since she was born. However, this was not what Gu Fan was most curious about. ¡°I¡¯d like to know why you call my people Star Creators.¡± ¡°Because there¡¯s a star surrounded by a steel frame skeleton near that galaxy. I heard from some older members that it came from the hands of humans. They said that with it, we can collect and use the energy in the star. The outpost we live in has always relied on that energy star to provide energy¡­¡± After tearing open the skin of the nutrition bar, she brought the thing to her nose and sniffed it carefully. Surprisingly, other than a slightly sour smell, there was no other smell. Use a star as energy? If he wasn¡¯t wrong, it should be a Dyson sphere. Once it was completely completed, the energy it provided would even be enough to power a galaxy. However, Gu Fan did not understand why those people would build the Dyson Sphere in a living place. Obviously, this did not conform to common sense. Although it was a little strange, Gu Fan was more concerned about where that place was. After all, a galaxy with outposts and Dyson Spheres was extremely valuable. He didn¡¯t want those miscellaneous races to be the first to snatch such a huge gift. At the thought of this, Gu Fan¡¯s voice could not help but become excited. ¡°Do you remember what that place is? The name of the galaxy, or its code name?¡± However, what was disappointing was that Lilym only seemed to know the name of an outpost. ¡°Milos, this is the name of the outpost¡­¡± As expected, things were not as simple as he thought. For this reason, he decided to start from other aspects. ¡°Then how were you sent to Soma No. 4? According to you, you and your people almost never leave the outpost left behind by humans.¡± At the mention of this, Lilym¡¯s expression suddenly became very ugly. It was unknown if she had choked on a nutrition bar or if she had thought of something terrifying. After a moment, she said a name hesitantly. ¡°It¡¯s a guy who calls himself the Great Khan.¡± ¡°They are a group of barbaric pirates. One day, their fleet appeared near the outpost without any warning. They used the warship¡¯s low speed to break through the outpost¡¯s shield defense and then tore open the outpost¡¯s armor with its spiked bow.¡± ¡°There are many of them. We don¡¯t have the strength to resist at all.¡± ¡°After that, I was bought by a merchant and sold all the way to Wilm¡­¡± Hearing such news, Gu Fan only responded with slight disappointment. ¡°Oh.¡± Originally, he thought that there was a treasure that had not been touched and was waiting for him to dig it up. Unexpectedly, it had already been taken by someone else. ¡°Well¡­¡± At this moment, Lilym suddenly said. ¡°If you¡¯re willing, I can be in charge of the food on the ship from now on¡­¡± As she spoke, her eyes kept glancing at the remaining half of the nutrition bar in Gu Fan¡¯s hand. A sympathetic expression gradually appeared on her face. It was as if she was saying that it was too pitiful to only eat such things every day. Lilym¡¯s words piqued Gu Fan¡¯s interest again. In fact, he was already sick of these energy bars. The texture was like chewing another large piece of plastic. ¡°It¡¯s mentioned in our canon that when God created us, it was to give us the task of making communion. Hence, he bestowed wisdom on our ancestors and enlightened our minds.¡± ¡°So every member of us has been learning the process of making communion since the day we were born.¡± Communion? What kind of high-end thing was that? Lilym¡¯s words stunned Gu Fan. He could not help but be curious. ¡°So¡­ what exactly is that? The name of some kind of cuisine?¡± Faced with Gu Fan¡¯s question, Lilym thought for a moment. ¡°Holy Communion is a series of complex and sacred techniques. To be more specific¡­¡¯ ¡°There¡¯s double-cooked pork, egg fried rice, and¡­¡± The moment he heard these familiar names, Gu Fan felt his eyes turn black. At this moment, he roughly understood how his fellow humans had created Lilym¡¯s race back then. Perhaps they only wanted a cat that could cook at first¡­ They had clearly been forced into a dead end by the Wither Disease, but these people¡¯s hearts were surprisingly big. Perhaps this should be called finding joy in suffering? At this moment, Xue Feng¡¯s voice suddenly came from the communication device that Gu Fan was wearing. ¡°An anomaly has been detected ahead of the ship.¡± Hearing this, Gu Fan slowly stood up. He knew that it was time to rush to the bridge. ¡°What kind of anomaly?¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the other end of the communication device fell silent for a while. A moment later¡­ ¡°The presumed target is an offline stargate with insufficient energy.¡± Chapter 25 - Outside the Galaxy Chapter 25 Outside the Galaxy Not long after, when Gu Fan arrived at the bridge, the spaceship which was under the guidance of Xue Feng, was beginning a short-distance warp journey with an unknown coordinate in the depths of the galaxy. After crossing a distance of 0.57 light-years, the warship landed steadily. Just as she had first reported, there was indeed an abandoned building from ancient times in the deep space at the bottom of the galaxy. ¡°A human Stargate? Why is it in such a desolate place?¡± Staring at the gray monolith-like building that appeared in his vision, there was no doubt that it was a Farstrider Stargate that had been widely used by his compatriots in the old era. It can be linked to a Stargate of the same model located 15,000 light-years away, and once successfully activated, it can drop up to an entire fleet in a warp to the other end of the gate. It was built far away from the conventional route. Perhaps this was the main reason why it could survive until now and not be dismantled into scrap by those alien scumbags. The strange thing was that according to the star map on the ship, this was not once human territory. Could it be that after he entered the dormant cabin, human sovereignty had once welcomed a large-scale expansion? Judging from the tricky and deliberate location of the Stargate, this thing seemed to have been secretly installed in this desolate border galaxy. In any case, it seemed a little unreasonable for it to appear here. ¡°Is there a way to reactivate it? I wonder if this thing can still be used.¡± Hearing Gu Fan¡¯s question, Xue Feng, who was sitting in front of the control panel, shifted her gaze back to the stargate. At the same time, the scanner was constantly sending back diagnostic data about the huge building. ¡°Other than the lack of energy, there are no other obvious problems with the target. As long as energy is injected, it can be activated at any time.¡± It only required energy replenishment. It sounded like he could give it a try. After all, the battleship had just been replenished with resources. There was nothing wrong with being appropriately extravagant. He could treat it as a lucky draw. After an unknown period of time, the sleeping stargate was awakened by the energy torrent from the Glory Queen. Gradually, the gray monolith that had originally merged into one began to change. Gradually, it revealed the shape of a door frame. Fortunately, from the state of the Stargate. The other Stargate that was connected to it seemed to have been activated. This meant that Gu Fan and the others could pass through the passageway in front of them at any time and go to the other end of the door. However, to be safe, Gu Fan instructed Xue Feng to send out a frigate first to confirm the situation behind the door. After all, no one knew where the damn thing was connected to. Now that the frigate had entered the passage, Gu Fan only needed to sit here and wait for the news. But at this moment, something strange happened¡­ After losing contact for a short period of time, when the signal of the frigate appeared on the star map of the Glory Queen again, it was actually outside the Milky Way, a position that should have been empty. ¡°This is¡­¡± Looking at the signal that did not exist in any galaxy, Gu Fan could not believe his eyes. He began to wonder if there was something wrong with the ship¡¯s system. A moment later, as the image data from the frigate¡¯s sensor was transmitted back to the battleship¡¯s computer, a space platform that clearly had a human style appeared in the middle of the image. It looked like a temporary residence, but other than this building, there was nothing else in the space behind the door. There was only a cold void with nothing. As he glanced at the star map at the side again, a possibility suddenly appeared in Gu Fan¡¯s mind. Could it be that the Stargate in front of him was connected to a star zone beyond the Milky Way? If that was the case, it seemed to explain the strange phenomenon. The space behind the Stargate was not in the Milky Way at all, but in the cosmic chasm outside the Milky Way. Gu Fan still remembered that when he was still studying in the military academy, it had always been a popular question about what was outside the Milky Way, although there were many videos that could prove that there was gorgeous and colorful universe outside also the Milky Way. However, according to the principle of light transmission, most of the captured images were historical images that had been transmitted over hundreds of thousands of years. At that time, the people were so confident and filled with the spirit of exploration. In order to know the answer as soon as possible, countless scholars had spontaneously started research on the civilization outside the Milky Way. There were even some private explorers who had tried to fly the spaceship through the void chasm that lay between the Milky Way and the extragalactic system, which was much like the deep sea. In order to figure out the truth of this building, Gu Fan immediately ordered Xue Feng to send an engineering ship with a total of 88 engineering servants to enter the opposite side through the stargate. He wanted to place these engineering servants in the space dwelling to see if he could find any useful information inside. At this moment, Xue Feng raised his question. ¡°Do we need to let the battleships in? That way, the investigation will be much faster.¡± Gu Fan, on the other hand, rejected such a suggestion without even thinking. ¡°No, there¡¯s a certain risk in doing so. If something goes wrong, we¡¯ll be trapped there.¡± Not long after, as the engineering servants successfully landed, a carpet search was carried out under Gu Fan¡¯s instructions. Soon, one of the search teams found the terminal device of the residence in the lower cabin of the building. After careful inspection, most of the information was in a relatively complete state. According to the internal chronological order, Gu Fan extracted the earliest record and played it. [Fleet Record 003, Frog Jump Project.] [The Stargate has been successfully built. One of our reconnaissance teams has been traveling in the chasm for four months. According to the plan, they should be about to reach the first rivet point. At that time, they will build another Stargate there. This way, our first stop in the chasm will be completed.] [I believe that as long as we escape the range of the Milky Way, we should be able to escape the curse.] Curse? Upon hearing this word, Gu Fan was stunned for a moment before he quickly understood that the other party was probably referring to the Wither Disease. However, this was really interesting¡­ It sounded like these people were planning to escape the wreaking havoc of the Wither Disease by escaping from the Milky Way. Just as Gu Fan was about to continue reading the next record, the mechanical servants who were carrying out the search mission seemed to have made a new discovery. Chapter 26 - New Goal, New Journey Chapter 26 New Goal, New Journey ¡°Is that a star map?¡± At this moment, Gu Fan looked at the sensor screen in front of Xue Feng in disbelief. A team of mechanical servants in charge of exploring the residence actually found a holographic star map that was still running in an empty hall that was similar to a conference room. What was surprising was that the many items stored in this star map were so detailed. The territories of the old Human Empire, as well as the specific colonial worlds, military, and technical key points were all marked in it. Compared to the old star map of the Glory Queen, which had experienced data destruction, there was a world of difference between the two. In terms of value, these key coordinates were much more precious than a fleet. With it, Gu Fan could follow the past territories of mankind and the coordinates of the key facilities to purposefully recover the legacy of human civilization in the past. He would no longer wander aimlessly among the stars like he did now. It had to be said that this could be called the guidance of fate. It was as if someone was deliberately guiding him to discover things step by step. As soon as he walked out, he encountered such a huge gift. Before he could rejoice, Gu Fan immediately asked Xue Feng to give the order to the team of mechanical servants that had discovered the star map to retrieve it. Soon, as the team with the star map data successfully returned to the cabin of the Glory Queen through the stargate, Gu Fan sent the data into the database almost non-stop. With the first update of the star map in a thousand years, the territory of the Human Empire that once spanned half of the Milky Way finally appeared in front of Gu Fan again. At this moment, there was an indescribable excitement in his heart¡­ However, this feeling only lasted for a moment. Soon, a realistic problem that he had no choice but to face appeared in front of him. Combined with the star map information that he had spent a lot of money to buy from Soma No. 4, the vast sovereignty that had once belonged to the Human Empire had almost been divided up by a large number of foreign forces. Amar¡¯s Hive Faction, the Dwarf Union, and a Lost Empire Faction that called themselves the Guardians of the Holy Land. Apart from that, there were also a large number of weak new factions. The entire northwestern and central regions of the human empire could be said to be filled with an annoying vitality¡­ Among them, the Amarian Empire in the north was the leader. Nearly 40% of the territory had been completely occupied by them, so this naturally included a large number of important military and technological facilities. Although with the standards of these Amarians, it would definitely take time to study human technology thoroughly, as time passed, Gu Fan could not guarantee the final outcome. As for the capital area further south, with the solar system as the core, it was almost destroyed for some special reason. At least, when Gu Fan came out from there, there was nothing left except worthless ruins along the way. Although there seemed to be a relatively clear goal, due to the existence of these latecomers, it would definitely not be easy to recycle the inheritance left behind by humans. It was obvious that these foreign races would not allow him to enter their territory at will¡­ The best way was to establish a country and interact with the foreign races as a government, or negotiate further, as he had previously said to Ramchi. However, what Gu Fan was worried about was whether his current strength was too weak. After all, he only had a command ship that was not too powerful. Even if he really wanted to do this, the best way was to first find some less eye-catching corners to quietly develop. He would collect technology bit by bit and accumulate strength. On the other side, the search under Xue Feng¡¯s command was still ongoing. So far, apart from the star map in front of him, the mechanical servants had not found anything of value. Due to the distance, Xue Feng couldn¡¯t scan the residence directly. Otherwise, with the powerful scanning equipment of the Glory Queen. In just a moment, even the few rats and cockroaches hidden in the pipes of the residence could be recorded clearly. Just as Gu Fan felt that he could leave, he looked at the news he had seen in the logbook of his residence. Suddenly, one of the messages caught his attention again. According to the records, this exploration team had built a stargate on the edge of the chasm outside the river. In that case, didn¡¯t it mean that they had the template of the stargate technology in their hands? Or was it a backup of some information? But where would such an important thing be placed¡­ With doubts, Gu Fan looked at the database of his residence again and clicked on the next record. [Fleet Record 005.] [This is too bad. We thought that as long as we escaped from the Milky Way, we could not be affected by the Wither Disease, but there were still people in the fleet who fell for it.] [But fortunately, according to observation, the development of this strange disease is much slower than in the Milky Way. Some scholars in the fleet believe that the further away one is from the Milky Way, the less threatening the disease will be. They believe that it is an existence similar to a psionic curse.] [Although we don¡¯t know how it happened, this disease that can corrode souls has completely destroyed the glory of mankind.] Wither Disease¡¯s development speed in the outer region was much slower than in the Milky Way? Reading the description in the document, Gu Fan could not help but fall into deep thought. He began to recall the time when he was on a boat with his classmate and accidentally entered a strange space. Even now, he did not know how to describe that strange place in words. He kept feeling that the space was like a chaotic dream. Everything inside was so distorted that it made people feel uncomfortable just by looking at it. It was also after returning from that space that he and his classmates suffered from the strange illness known as Wither Disease. Curious, Gu Fan clicked on the record of the next line. He wanted to know what the final outcome of this exploration team would be. [Fleet Record 006.] [The few teams that were sent out earlier have all lost contact with the base. The second anchor point has never been established. If we can¡¯t accurately rely on these anchor points to jump, the fleet will have no choice but to blindly cross the huge galactic chasm without guidance.] [And the result of doing so is often getting lost inside and eventually exhausting all the supplies.] [Fleet Record 006.] [We have nowhere to retreat to. The last spontaneous team was lost on the way to the Second Anchor this morning. The fleet has begun to waver. Some of us want to return to the Milky Way.] [In the end, after discussing with the captains, I decided to split the fleet into two groups. The first group will be filled with colonial supplies under my lead and sail to the other side of the Milky Way by jumping blindly. Once we succeed, these people will have a high chance of escaping the influence of the Wither Disease and building a new kindling on the other side of the Milky Way.] [The other group will return to the Milky Way and try to find new hope in the ruins.] [The target has been determined. If anyone sees these records, all you can do now is pray that we succeed¡­] At this point, Gu Fan silently raised his head and looked at the void not far away that was deeper than the night. He was silent for a long time, unable to speak. Chapter 27 - Betrayal Chapter 27 Betrayal After retrieving the advance team outside the star gate to the hangar and receiving guidance from his ancestors, Gu Fan pointed out a new direction for the Glory Queen. At the moment, the giant ship was advancing at a standard warp speed toward an old colony located in the western part of the Milky Way. According to the data in the star map, that place had yet to be tainted by any foreign forces. As for the specific situation, he could only find out when he went. While the warship was sailing at an average speed, Gu Fan was carefully reading the information brought back from the outpost outside the river. Although most of it was insignificant navigation logs, there was no lack of key information. For example, the detailed records of Project Rekindle. This was a civilization-level self-help operation approved by the imperial government after the Wither Disease spread widely in the human empire. The goal was to choose the most suitable race among the successor races that had been created and nurtured after all humans fell asleep. The chosen ones would inherit part of the heritage of mankind and become a proxy civilization. Until mankind officially returned, the chosen proxy would take over the huge empire that once spanned three-fifths of the Milky Way. The perpetrators of all this were the Observers personally created by humans. It sounded good? But combining what he had seen and heard recently, Gu Fan understood that everything did not develop as his compatriots had expected. As he continued to search, he finally found the truth in the diary of one of the crew members. All of this stemmed from a shameful betrayal. The seven races that were originally created and chosen as candidate agents took advantage of the Human Empire¡¯s weakest moment and used the favors that humans had given them to start a rebellion. Although the remnants of humanity and the subsidiary civilizations that remained loyal to humanity joined forces to launch resistance. However, in the end, these insect-like existences still won the battle with despicable means and established an alliance on the sacred territory of the old Human Empire. After that, it was the Galaxy Community that ruled the Milky Way. As for the Amarians and some of the allies in the community, they were mostly one of the seven races that had participated in the rebellion. At this moment, everything seemed to have become clear. This hard-won truth once again made Gu Fan understand who the real enemy was. His next goal seemed to have become obvious. Looking at the remaining nearly 2,000 documents in the database, Gu Fan planned to stop temporarily so that he could have some time to digest this information. However, as his fingers accidentally touched it, a technical proof document at the bottom was accidentally pointed out by him. Gu Fan originally planned to read it after some time, but when he accidentally glanced at it, he saw a shocking title. [About the possibility of intelligent machines being equipped with artificial wombs and the possibility of reproduction in place of human mothers.] Although the title was very long, Gu Fan could still find a few unusual words at first glance. Intelligent machinery, artificial uterus, reproduction possibilities? For a moment, Gu Fan felt as if he understood something, but at the same time, he did not understand anything. Artificial uterus was not a rare technique in the past, but because of this technique, it would inevitably bring about a series of ethical and moral problems. Some humanistic scholars and politicians have consistently opposed the popularization of the technology, which has long been taboo in past governments. Except for special reasons, no one may easily use this technique. Not far away, Xue Feng was sitting in front of the pilot¡¯s seat, concentrating on making minor adjustments to the navigation direction. It didn¡¯t seem to be paying attention to them. With hesitation, he finally straightened his back and focused his attention on this strange document. [October 4th, the higher-ups have approved the experiment plan. The first batch of samples has been successfully loaded into the test subject.] [October 11th, the successful cultivation of the first egg was observed. Although it was not as efficient as a professional cultivation chamber, there seemed to be no problem with stability.] [On February 4th, test subject 016 was observed to have successfully nurtured an embryo. Through testing the genetic sequence inside the embryo, it is very stable and can be edited many times. Without a doubt, this means that the experiment of carrying the artificial uterus in the cyborg has achieved great success.] [On the 7th of March, the higher-ups allowed the cyborgs to carry artificial uterus on a large scale. I believe that this technology will greatly change the huge imbalance in the gender ratio of the survivors in the future and provide great help to the continuation and reconstruction of human society in the future.] ¡®I see¡­¡¯ Survival and reproduction was an important cycle for any organic civilization. From the description in the document, for various reasons, the survivors who were lucky enough to escape were facing serious survival problems. That was why they had used this technology, which had been considered unethical in the past, in an attempt to ensure the continuation of the human race in the future. At the thought of this, Gu Fan shifted his gaze to Xue Feng again. Looking at the petite figure of the other party, he felt that it was more or less unbearable to look at¡­ While Gu Fan was silently sorting out the newly obtained information, he suddenly heard Xue Feng report in an urgent tone. ¡°An unauthorized presence has broken into the core engine compartment.¡± The moment he heard this, Gu Fan found it unbelievable. Could it be an intruder? ¡°Bring it up on the screen.¡± Upon receiving the order, the ship¡¯s system quickly started operating. A moment later, the surveillance footage from the engine compartment was displayed on the screen in front of Gu Fan. The strange thing was that the person who appeared in the video was Lilym¡­ At this moment, she was holding a plate with both hands and walking in the engine room filled with energy with a puzzled expression. She was still walking towards the back of the ship. ¡°Lilym? What are you doing here?¡± Soon, when Gu Fan found her, the girl called Lilym was about to plunge into the engine compartment at the stern. Hearing the voice, Lilym finally perked up. ¡°Ah¡­ Lord God, I¡¯m looking everywhere for you¡­ 11 Alright, it seemed that this guy had really gone in the wrong direction. ¡°This¡­ is a dish I made with the ingredients I found. I hope you like it.¡± As she spoke, Lilym raised the plastic disk in her hand in front of Gu Fan. Mixed vegetables? The other party¡¯s words confused Gu Fan for a moment. He did not remember buying ingredients for cooking. He saw that the plate was filled with obviously processed leaves. There was a little orange powder sprinkled on the surface. From the looks of it, it was not bad. ¡°I¡¯m curious. Where did you find such a thing?¡± Lilym replied in a low voice. ¡°In the pot in the canteen¡­ There used to be similar plants in the outpost where I lived.¡± So that was how it was. If nothing went wrong, the other party should be referring to those genetically modified wild vines. As an ornamental plant, they could order the seeds at the root to enter a dormant state in the most extreme environment. Due to its overly powerful vitality, many long-distance ships would carry it so that the crew¡¯s boring and repetitive life could have some different scenery. As for using it to mix vegetables? This was the first time Gu Fan had heard of such a use. Unexpectedly, after carefully tasting the treated leaves, other than the slightly bitter taste, the overall taste was surprisingly acceptable, especially the orange-yellow powder. It actually tasted a little spicy. At the very least, it tasted much better than those nutrition bars. ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­¡¯ Hearing this evaluation, Lilym¡¯s expression finally relaxed. Then, she said in relief. ¡°That¡¯s great. It seems that using the bitter taste of those explosive particles to neutralize the leaves is the right choice.¡± Wait a minute??? What particles did you just say??? Chapter 28 - Heaven and Hell Chapter 28 Heaven and Hell It seemed that Lilym was not lying. She was indeed a good cook, but she was too wild and willful in terms of ingredients. With the full output of the Glory Queen¡¯s engine, the warship arrived above the remote colony in just a day and a half. It was a beautiful planet called Kata, with a tropical rainforest climate. According to the information, it used to be one of the northernmost territories of the empire. He stared at the emerald green planet in front of him. He did not know what kind of surprise was hidden under the rainforest that covered the surface. Gu Fan was looking forward to it. ¡°Stop the spaceship in planetary orbit and prepare to activate ground-scanning mode.¡± As he spoke, Gu Fan was already sitting in front of the scanning table. Beside him, the special dish made by Lilym was placed on the table. Although the ingredients used were very scary, after analyzing it, it surprisingly met the edible standards. He really didn¡¯t know how she processed it¡­ Not long after, as the ship scanner completed the first wave of signal transmission, Gu Fan began to analyze the data on the screen seriously while eating Lilym¡¯s special cuisine. First of all, the resources here. As a rainforest planet, Kata¡¯s forest resources could be said to be rich to an unimaginable extent. The life forms on its planet were also quite perfect. Although the mineral resources were not abundant, it was more than enough to support a colony. Just from these rough signals, this green planet was simply an exciting paradise. However, if it was really as it seemed on the surface, then the local human colonies should have developed quite prosperously. However, from the newly obtained colonial information, the result was not so. It seemed like there was a special reason behind this. To be on the safe side, Gu Fan increased the frequency of the scan and adjusted the intensity of the signal by three levels. This time, he indeed discovered something unusual from the signals sent back. The life signal of the local creatures here was really too strong. At the same time, Gu Fan had successfully located the old human colony from a thousand years ago. Strangely, this was not the only thing. Gu Fan had also discovered some not-so-likable existences among the countless pieces of information. For example, there were a few biological signals from alien races. It seemed that other forces had beaten Gu Fan to it. At this moment, those abnormal signals were heading in the direction of the human colony. If nothing went wrong, these foreign races might be interstellar tomb raiders. ¡°What a bunch of annoying bugs.¡± Looking at them, Gu Fan muttered to himself calmly. Kata. On the planet¡¯s surface. At this moment, a team made up of Amarians and Kasim slaves was exploring the lush rainforest. ¡°We¡¯re not there yet?¡± In the center of the team, a gorgeously dressed Amarian woman said to the man beside her with a look of disdain. This primitive environment that did not even have a proper path made her feel disgusted. Upon hearing the woman¡¯s voice, the clan guard who was on guard with a gun could not help but frown. Then, he lowered his voice and said carefully. ¡°Miss Camil, please try to be quiet ¡­ this place is dangerous¡­¡¯ The guards¡¯ worries were not unreasonable. The rainforest planet beneath their feet was the world of death that the Galaxy Community regarded as a restricted area. There was no other reason. It was purely because of the overly ferocious native species, causing this place to be unsuitable for intelligent creatures to live in. There was once an official Amarian research team that died here not long after landing. However, the woman scoffed at her kind reminder. ¡°Murat, know your place. You don¡¯t have the right to ask me for anything. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Facing the woman named Camil, Murat knew that the only thing she could do was obey. As she spoke, she pointed at the Kasim slaves who were walking in front of the group. ¡°Order those bastards to speed things up. We don¡¯t have that much time to waste in a place like this.¡± It sounded like Camil wasn¡¯t just impatient. After all, there were less than two months left until the Queen¡¯s Ascension Festival. She wanted to send a huge gift to the Queen and the Amarian Empire before the festival to obtain more benefits for her family. According to the news brought by a group recyclers not long ago, there seemed to be of remnants of ancient humans on this strange dead planet. If they could find it, it would undoubtedly bring great fame to Camil. But as soon as she finished speaking¡­ Suddenly, a strange voice sounded without any warning. It was a low buzzing sound, accompanied by a slight headache that instantly filled everyone¡¯s ears. Even the communication devices on the guards were destroyed by this high-frequency signal. ¡°F*ck! What¡¯s going on?!¡± In an instant, the originally quiet team was in an uproar. Fortunately, the sound did not last long. After a few seconds, everything returned to normal. At this moment, after the accompanying technicians in the team confirmed the data readings in the portable detection equipment, they gradually came to an unbelievable conclusion. ¡°Was that a scanning signal just now? Is something detecting this land?¡± Just as everyone was in disbelief¡­ Not far away, a guard cursed as he walked towards an exposed rock. From his reaction, it looked as if something had gotten into his boots and was making him uncomfortable. However, just as he sat down¡­ Crack¡­ The crisp sound of a tree branch snapping came from the surrounding bushes. In the next second, before anyone could react. In the dense canopy, a few irregular black fruits suddenly fell from the middle, and one of them even rolled to the feet of the guard. The curious guard picked it up, but before he could see what it was, BANG!!! All of a sudden, the black fruit that looked like an insect¡¯s shell exploded, and a large amount of thick green mucus splashed onto the guard¡¯s body and the surrounding soil. Under everyone¡¯s horrified gazes, the guard who was stained with mucus screamed in pain. Like butter in a hot pot, his armor and equipment quickly melted into a pool of sticky black liquid. It turned into nutrients that could be easily absorbed and quickly fused into this greedy land. Everything on this planet would eat people¡­ The scene in front of him made the guard Murat think of such a widely spread rumor in the empire, but this seemed to be only the beginning. The explosion and screams just now had clearly successfully awakened this forest. Accompanied by the slight trembling of the ground, something seemed to be rapidly approaching from not far away. In the next second, someone in the crowd shouted¡­ ¡°Run!¡± At this moment, the well-equipped team finally seemed to have woken up from a dream and began to escape into the depths of the rainforest. Chapter 29 - First Base Chapter 29 First Base At this moment, a grand hunt was taking place in the rainforest of Kata. The prey they were going to capture were those blindly arrogant invaders. Listening to the screams coming from the surroundings, Camil knew that it was the family guards who were supposed to protect her safety. At this moment, they were being slaughtered. It was no exaggeration to say that every tree and stone in this forest seemed to want their lives. In the panic, an agile beast suddenly darted out from the bushes at the side. Fortunately, the guard Murat quickly fired and a few red laser beams melted through the beast¡¯s vital points, barely knocking it down. Seeing that the danger around him was temporarily resolved, Camil, who was already exhausted, slowly slowed down. He propped up his knees with both hands and couldn¡¯t help but curse. ¡°This place is hell!¡± Currently, there were only five guards and three short Kasim slaves left in the team of nearly 20 people. Even the technician with the external communication equipment was nowhere to be seen. This meant that unless they could return to the spaceship, they would sooner or later become food for a certain wild beast and eventually become fertilizer to be left on this planet forever. ¡°Murat, give me water.¡± Upon hearing the order, the guard Murat placed his hand on his waist and looked a little hesitant. However, looking at the other party¡¯s increasingly unhappy gaze, he could only helplessly take down the kettle and hand it to the other party. Before she could say anything, Camil snatched the water bottle and poured a few mouthfuls of water into her mouth. Then, she poured the rest of the water into her handkerchief. ¡°Miss Camil¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know how uncomfortable it is to sweat?! I can¡¯t take it!¡± Under Camil¡¯s willfulness, she finally managed to use up the last of their water reserves. Then, she threw the empty water bottle at Murat¡¯s feet. At this moment, the two guards at the side suddenly shouted. ¡°Hey! Come and see this!¡± They were standing beside the beast that Murat had killed. They had an incredulous expression on their faces, as if they had discovered something shocking. As the others leaned over to take a look, they realized that inside the wound of the beast that was burned by the laser, there were dense blood vessels-like cables and a large number of precise mechanical devices. In an instant, everyone present could not help but feel a chill in their hearts. This ferocious creature was actually a complete mechanical life form. If that was the case, how many similar existences would there be in the vicinity¡­ Perhaps this abnormally dangerous forest was actually created by an ancient civilization? Was it to carry out their twisted and crazy experiments? They did not dare to think about it. At this moment, everyone only hoped to leave this terrifying place as soon as possible. However, at this moment, there was another rustling sound not far away, as if something was quickly shuttling through the forest. Camil was obviously a little frightened. She ordered a slave beside her. ¡°You! Go and see what that thing is!¡± The Kasim people, who were implanted with the voice of obedience, did not dare to disobey the orders of a noble. In the end, a slightly younger slave could only clench the short stick in his hand and slowly walk towards the forest where the commotion was coming from. However, just a moment later¡­ As the ground trembled, a huge figure slowly poked its head out from behind the bushes in front of the slave. At this moment, everyone could not help but hold their breaths. It was a terrifying mechanical worm. Its pale ring-shaped body made it look like a twisting spine. At this moment, it was using the sensor at its head to carefully examine everyone in front of it. As for the slave closest to it, he was so frightened that he almost lost consciousness. He trembled for a long time and did not move. Soon, the giant worm discovered the mechanical gray wolf that had lost its vitality on the ground. Such behavior clearly angered the giant insect. It extended its body and let out an ear-piercing scream that sounded like an alarm from its mouth. Realizing that something was wrong, the Amarian guards fired again, but the laser that was still effective just now seemed to have lost its effect on the giant worm. The consecutive volleys of attacks did not even damage the outer armor of the other party. In fact, they did not even scratch it. This ridiculous attack naturally infuriated the other party even more. As a stream of gray-white smoke was blasted from the giant worm¡¯s mouth, the two slaves standing in the front row were exposed to the mist at the moment of contact, first through their clothes, then through their skin and muscles, and finally through their bones. It was as if they had been disintegrated layer by layer. Not even a drop of blood could be spilled. The two slaves, who had been alive and kicking just now, were instantly evaporated into air. Seeing this scene, the Amarian woman named Camil finally couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. While the guards were still fighting, she ran alone without any explanation and crawled towards the dense forest not far away. No matter what, she only wanted to hurry up and leave this damned place, listening to the gradually weakening gunshots behind her. What bullsh*t queen? What bullsh*t benefits? How could these things be more important than her own life! However, before she could run a few steps, Camil felt as if he had tripped over something and fell heavily to the soft ground. Looking back, it was actually Kasim, the slave from the beginning. At this moment, the dwarf was looking at Camil in horror, one hand tightly pinching her calf. ¡°Help me¡­¡± The slave still wanted to call for help, but Camil couldn¡¯t care less. In a fit of anger, she raised her foot and kicked the dwarf in the face. ¡°Let me go! Idiot!¡± However, the other party did not let go. Instead, he tightened his grip. Just as she was about to raise the stone by her hand and smash it at the slave, ¡®Ow!¡¯ Camil heard an angry growl behind her¡­ In an instant, she felt that half of her blood had turned cold. When she turned around with a terrified expression, a bloody mouth full of sharp teeth was already hanging above her head. ¡°No¡­¡± In the spaceship in planetary orbit, Gu Fan watched everything these Amarians experienced through the ship¡¯s sensors. At this moment, as the last guard was torn to pieces by the robotic worms, the planet finally regained its peace. According to the information he found not long ago, this planet called Kata was indeed a little special because as a colonial planet located at the border, its greatest use was actually not to develop the habitat of humans. Simply put, this place was more like a planet-level nature reserve. There was no lack of precious aberrations. At the same time, many extinct creatures had been artificially replicated on this rainforest planet. As for the mechanical worms, they were actually just the guardians and recorders of this protected area, and this group of unlucky Amarians were clearly treated as thieves who came to poach animals. Among them, the most unlucky one was the arrogant Amarian woman. Unfortunately, she was treated as lunch by a four-armed bear, and her beautiful head was torn off her body. However, what surprised Gu Fan was that after many confirmations, the human colonies here seemed to be better preserved than expected. At the same time, there was actually a rather complete research base under this planet. Relatively remote locations, abundant available resources and a complete set of colonial facilities. Thinking of this, Gu Fan immediately gave an order to Xue Feng. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can contact the AI in this colony.¡± As he spoke, he cast his gaze at the emerald green planet in front of him again. ¡°If possible, we will take over this planet next.¡± Chapter 30 - The Beginning Of Farming Chapter 30 The Beginning Of Farming As there were no large berths on the ground, behemoths like the Glory Queen could only continue to dock in the orbit of the planet. After successfully contacting the administrative AI of the old colony, Gu Fan, accompanied by Xue Feng and Lilym, boarded the Valkyrie gunship and sailed into Planet Kata with a standard team of 12 iron guards. Sitting in the spacious cabin, unlike those abnormal environments where the air was thin or poisonous, the atmosphere of Planet Kata was obviously much gentler. It even felt more refreshing than Earth¡¯s former home planet. Under Gu Fan¡¯s orders, the control system of the gunship cruised at a relatively slow speed, steadily sailing above the magnificent forest on the surface. It wasn¡¯t for any other reason, but because he wanted to enjoy the scenery that was as refreshing as the green sea. The forest, mountains, and lakes, as well as the strange creatures flying in the sky. From the outside, this place was indeed a rare natural paradise. If nothing went wrong, it was precisely because of this reason that the human colonists had built this place as a protected place to study the ecology of the planet. Not long after, when the Valkyrie gunship gradually approached a particularly dense forest, the scenery on the ground became more and more illusory with the help of the star¡¯s light. In just a moment, the originally dense forest disappeared and was replaced by an oval-shaped black energy shield that was completely upside down. [Curtain System] Just like the robe that Gu Fan wore, it was a more efficient and widespread disguise. Even with professional equipment, it was almost impossible for outsiders to discover the targets covered by the curtain unless they took the initiative to remove it. As the spaceship entered the semi-transparent energy shield, a colonial base modified from a colonial spaceship appeared on the ground. Judging from the number of buildings, it could be considered to be in its infancy. A moment later, the gunship landed smoothly in the empty space in the center of the colony. Hundreds of old synthoids had already received orders and were waiting there. These old models looked clearly different from humans. Their processors carried the most basic intelligent cores. Compared to the army puppets in the spaceship that were specially used for consumption, they were much smarter. Not far away, a slightly larger caterpillar robot immediately caught Gu Fan¡¯s attention. From the serial number on the other party¡¯s body, E-114514, it should be the AI consultant in charge of the development of this colony. When the group walked out of the cabin, the AI consultant, who was as smooth as a trash can, shouted in a rather cheerful tone. ¡°Welcome, Mr. Gu Fan, to the scientific research colony led by Dr. Noira!¡± At the same time, the hundreds of cyborgs at the side also shouted the same slogan. This scene undoubtedly gave Gu Fan, who was unprepared, a lightning strike. At the end of the line, he even saw a holographic sign that was raised high. His name was already on it, and there was a circle of colorful neon lights around it¡­ Why did it seem like an idol meeting? Gu Fan was not a person who liked big scenes. Such an unexpected scene clearly made him feel a little uncomfortable. Clearly, this strange ritual was influenced by the previous manager. After an unknown period of time, under the introduction of the consultant AI that looked like a trash can, Gu Fan already had a basic understanding of this colony called Kata No. 2. Similar to the situation in the factory, the colony had been in a semi-deserted state for the past 1,100 years. Fortunately, the colony was not large, and there were enough synthetic people to maintain the buildings. Therefore, the entire colony and even the outer protective park were managed in an orderly manner. At the same time, although it was only a small scientific research colony, the buildings and facilities here were surprisingly complete. To the east was a command center converted from a colonial spaceship. In the northwest corner is an organic conversion plant that provides energy to the colony as a whole. As for the south side, there was a large equipment workshop. Most importantly, there was a scientific research center underground. While a large amount of precious scientific and technological information was preserved, there was even a rare deconstructor in the center. It was an analytical device that could be used to analyze the shape of matter and the characteristics of a certain technology. As long as it scanned the object, most of the characteristics of technological products or unknown materials could be quickly analyzed. Simply put, with the help of the deconstructor, Gu Fan could research and crack some technologies that had yet to be unlocked. He could even analyze and use the technologies from the foreign races. Apart from that, the colonies had also made a lot of considerations regarding their daily safety guarantees. It could be seen that these colonists had indeed made sufficient preparations before setting off again. Just as the introduction was about to come to an end, the consultant AI suddenly made an unbelievable suggestion in an excited voice. ¡°By the way, do you want to meet Dr. Noira? You¡¯re the first guests to arrive here in a long time. She¡¯ll definitely be happy to meet you.¡± Noira? If he remembered correctly, she was the original person in charge of this camp. But the problem was that this had happened more than a thousand years ago. Even after genetic modification surgery, without the support of other means, a normal person¡¯s lifespan would not exceed 400 years. Finally, under the lead of the tracked robot, the followed them to the back of the base group and stopped in front of a hill where they could see the entire base. He saw a small tombstone quietly waiting there. In front of the spotless stone tablet was a pure white crystal photo frame. Inside the crystal, there was a colorful photo carved by a laser. Although she was called a doctor, the portrait was of a young and cute girl like the snow wind. In the photo, she was holding a furry creature in her arms. The smile on her face was so bright. At this moment, the consultant AI at the side. spoke again. ¡°To Dr. Noira, this base and this park are all her efforts. If you plan to take over this base in the future, I hope you can treat it as well as possible.¡± Obviously, the other party had already expected that this colony would welcome a new master. Hearing this, Gu Fan did not say anything. He just quietly looked at the girl in the photo. After a long time, he raised his head and cast gaze on the jade-green land that made one feel refreshed. his He already had a long-term plan for his future development, and all of this would be based on this undeveloped virgin land. The flag of the empire would be raised again in this rainforest. This would be the starting point of everything. A moment later, Gu Fan muttered to himself. ¡°Yes, I will.¡± Chapter 31 - The Great Khan Chapter 31 The Great Khan According to the results of the equipment inspection, the curtain generator used to hide the location of the base had a maximum projection range of about 700 square kilometers. Currently, the size of the Kata No. 2 base has not even reached one-seventh of this number. In other words, this base could continue to expand by more than seven times and it would still be within the safe range. For this reason, after a short exchange with the old consultant AI, Gu Fan finally gave the order to further expand the colony. In addition, because Kata 2 was once used as a scientific research colony, the database of the base naturally stored many technological templates recorded and preserved by predecessors. There was no lack of eye-catching existences. For example, an entire arc-level research ship¡¯s engineering template. As one of the vanguards used by the Human Empire to explore the universe, its hull was fitted with the latest sensor-scanning equipment, which allowed it to observe its targets from a relatively safe distance. In addition to the research ship, Gu Fan had also successfully found the relevant technological records of the warship in the vast data database. Although it was only a kind of frigate equipped with basic defensive firepower, it was still a good start. In summary, Gu Fan did not hesitate to put a new ship factory on the construction schedule. Not long after, just as he was busy with the expansion plan for the base in the command room, he heard an emotionless voice coming from the communicator beside him. ¡°Reporting, we found the Amarians¡¯ spaceships and some of the equipment left behind.¡± It was the recycling team that had been sent out. Gu Fan had given them the mission to retrieve the remnants of the Amarians. Perhaps there would be some useful things among them. It had to be said that although they were only products from the old era, these synthetic humans with basic intelligence displayed extremely efficient results in terms of efficiency in completing their work and interpreting complicated orders. With their help and the abilities of the engineering servants, Gu Fan believed that the production and base expansion plan could be completed in a relatively short period of time. However, just as the synthesizer finished speaking, a rather vital voice suddenly came from inside and reported impatiently. ¡°Lord God! I¡¯ve already thought of what to prepare for today¡¯s Holy Communion ceremony!¡± It was Lilym. Ever since she entered Kata, she had been even more excited than Gu Fan, like a cat that had accidentally entered a dried fish factory. For example, when she visited the protective park with the consultant AI not long ago, she was faced with the incomparably precious alien creatures displayed in the database. Lilym¡¯s eyes were different, as if she wasn¡¯t reading biological information but a long recipe. If she hadn¡¯t specially instructed her, she would have stuffed all the creatures on Kata into the pot sooner or later. Thanks to the talent engraved in her genes, Lilym was almost infinitely enthusiastic about cooking. For example, she would always say a catchphrase with an unclear meaning. The universe was a huge frying pan. In Lilym¡¯s eyes, there were only three types of existence in this universe. One that could be stuffed into the pot, one that had to be processed before it could be stuffed into the pot, and the last being one that could not be stuffed into the pot no matter what. Gu Fan was very worried about this. If this continued, this girl would sooner or later go berserk. Not far away, the construction ship sent by the Glory Queen was transporting batches of precious supplies and newly built building modules between the colony and the battleships. As the existing assembly workshop in the base did not support the production of large construction modules, the newly planned factories and dockyards could only be made through the quantum forge inside the battleship. Then, the parts would be transported down and assembled like building blocks. Sitting in the command center, overlooking the busy colony in front of him, watching the new construction frames rise from the ground, such a scene made one feel happy. Gu Fan knew that everything was progressing in a better direction. Thinking of this, he gradually stood up from his seat. As he glanced around, he saw Xue Feng sitting quietly on the long sofa, staring at him for a long time. The light dress on her body had been changed, replaced by a slightly solemn robe. Coupled with Xue Feng¡¯s serious and wordless temperament, she suddenly looked like a saintess of the religion. She more or less felt like a flower on a high mountain now. Looking at Xue Feng in front of him, Gu Fan couldn¡¯t help but smile. Then, he walked over and sat beside her. After many days of high-intensity work, Gu Fan gradually felt tired. In just one morning, he had summarized and organized more than a thousand documents and carefully reviewed the contents. As if sensing the fatigue on the other party¡¯s body, before Gu Fan could say anything, Xue Feng asked calmly. ¡°Do you want to lie down?¡± Hearing this, Gu Fan didn¡¯t say anything. He just silently turned his body and rested the back of his head on Xue Feng¡¯s thigh. Perhaps it was because not long ago, he had accidentally stuffed a piece of information about girls and relationships into Xue Feng¡¯s database. Recently, Xue Feng had been deliberately doing strange things. It could be seen that she was really studying the plot in the information seriously. In Gu Fan¡¯s eyes, this was just a simple imitation. He did not think that a machine would really give birth to emotions similar to love, even for humans. They didn¡¯t say much, but only accompanied each other in silence. Looking at Xue Feng, who was looking down at him, she really looked like a human girl from this perspective. After an unknown period of time, Lilym returned to the base like a chieftain who had gone out to hunt with the help of the synthetics. Only then did Gu Fan sit up again. In the busy base, after seeing Gu Fan appear, Lilym waved in his direction excitedly. It had to be said that that group of people could indeed be considered to have gained a lot, especially Lilym. In addition to the equipment left behind by the outsiders, she actually carried back a wild boar cub that was trussed up. However, just as Gu Fan was about to examine the pile of alien products in front of him, he heard an unfamiliar and eager alien language repeating in one of the devices that looked like a communicator. Without a doubt, this attracted Gu Fan¡¯s attention. That thing seemed to have been left behind by the group of Amarians not long ago. In order to figure out what the other end of the communication was saying, Gu Fan brought it back to the command room. Not long after, with the help of the computer, the contents of the communication device were easily translated. However, this allowed Gu Fan to learn some surprising news. What was being broadcast was a warning from the Galaxy Community. It was said that a powerful pirate force was expanding outwards at an astonishing speed. Currently, they were plundering and occupying the capital of some unlucky civilization, and the leader of this plundering force called himself. -The Great Khan. Chapter 32 - Death Of Hope Chapter 32 Death Of Hope The Great Khan. Gu Fan still remembered that Lilym had mentioned this name to him. Not long ago, an unfamiliar force that called itself the personal guard of the Great Khan had occupied the human outpost where Lilym lived. If nothing went wrong, even the Dyson Sphere facility in the galaxy should have fallen into their hands. A raider faction that had a Dyson Sphere and might have mastered human technology. Perhaps this was the reason why they could launch a large-scale invasion? Gu Fan could not give an accurate conclusion on this point, but it was certain that according to the alarm sent by the Community, this force had caused considerable trouble for the Galaxy Community. For Gu Fan, who was still in the development stage, this might become a rare opportunity. Until the right time came, the most important thing was to develop himself first. At the same time. On the planetary orbit of the Caroa Galaxy, a huge fleet was slowly gathering. This was a mixed fleet of warships and civilian ships. At this moment, there were still a large number of civilians waiting to be evacuated from the surface of the capital planet. If they did not do so, it would not be long before the Great Khan¡¯s fleet arrived. Under the merciless orbital bombardment and the bloodthirsty raiders, these unarmed civilians would undoubtedly face annihilation. In the bridge of the Lorraine, Captain Doyle was staring at the messy civilian fleet not far away with a serious expression. ¡°What¡¯s the situation on the front line?¡± Upon hearing the question, a liaison officer sitting in front of the operating table said uncertainly. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be too optimistic¡­ We haven¡¯t received any news from the frontlines since the beginning¡­¡± As an experienced officer, Doyle naturally knew what it meant to lose contact with the front line. Not long ago, in order to buy more time for the civilians who were still retreating from the rear, the 3rd Fleet, which had just evacuated from the battlefield, threw itself into the battlefield against the Great Khan again after a simple repair. Although it was said to be the main fleet, it was actually just a remnant army. Because they did not have enough ships, some simple modified civilian ships spontaneously joined them. Now, half a day had passed since the 3rd Fleet set off. According to the initial calculations, they should be able to buy two precious days for the evacuation of the rear. ¡°Tell them to speed up! No one is allowed to bring personal belongings. We have to make as many spaces as possible for every spaceship. If anyone dares to cause trouble, inform the soldiers to execute them on the spot. ¡°Also, is there any news from above? When will the reinforcements arrive?¡± Facing Captain Doyle¡¯s question again, the liaison officer¡¯s face revealed a disappointed expression. Then, he reported with an ashen face. ¡°There¡¯s no news of the reinforcements for the time being¡­ The higher-ups only said that we should continue to hold on. They¡¯re still negotiating with the people of the Community regarding the specific agreement¡­¡± Without a doubt, this sentence completely angered Captain Doyle, who was in charge of commanding the scene. ¡°Negotiate? I really want to shoot those damned animals! Do they really understand the situation here?!¡± As one of the youngest members of the Galaxy Community, Doyle¡¯s country was not very powerful. It had only been about 200 years since they first entered space. To them, there were still too many unknown secrets in this universe. However, before they could explore it, the malice from the universe had already swallowed them. Unfortunately, they became the target of the Great Khan¡¯s conquest. Originally, the Doyle clansmen hoped to use the power of the Community to resist the invasion of the raiders. However, the reality was that no one was really willing to sacrifice their power for a weak race. Their sincere request was only met with a cold and heartless relocation order. The Community had asked them to give up their homes, and they had done so. However, the Community had promised to help cover the retreat of the fleet, but there was no sign of it. ¡°Continue contacting the 3rd Fleet. I want to know what¡¯s going on with them!¡± Just as Doyle was still overwhelmed by the situation in front of him, an ear-piercing alarm suddenly interrupted his already messy thoughts. ¡°Sir! A large number of navigational reactions have been detected at the edge of the galaxy! Several fleets are heading towards us!¡± ¡°How many-¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Great Khan. The initial deduction is that the quantity is about¡­¡± ¡°600¡­¡± Hearing this news, the bridge of Rolin fell into a dead silence. ¡°Inform the fleet to set sail immediately.¡± ¡°But those who haven¡¯t evacuated yet¡­¡± However, before the liaison officer could finish speaking, Doyle¡¯s roar echoed in his ears. ¡°Give up on them! Let the fleet set off immediately!¡± Not long after he finished speaking, an ominous orange light flashed in the distant galaxy, and a huge meteorite appeared in everyone¡¯s vision. To be precise, it was more like a strange battleship made of space debris. The spiked hull symbolized the brutality of the Raiders. Doyle recognized it. It was the flagship personally commanded by the Great Khan himself, a nightmarish mega-dreadnought. As it appeared, more and more orange-yellow light began to appear at the edge of the galaxy with the battleship as the center. A total of 600 elite warships¡­ In terms of numbers alone, it was already twenty times more than the defending fleet. In this vast fleet, Doyle even saw the flagship of the 3rd Fleet. It seemed that it had been captured by the raiders. At this moment, what Doyle had in his hands was just a guard fleet piloted by the recruits. The flagship Loring under his command was just a cruiser that should have been retired long ago. Due to the sudden appearance of the Great Khan, the fleet behind them that was in charge of evacuating the civilians had also fallen into chaos. Should they retreat? As long as he immediately turned around and paid the price of the huge civilian fleet behind him, this pirate fleet might not be able to catch up to him. At this moment, Doyle felt as if time had slowed down beside him. The deputy beside him was nervously asking for the next order, and the communication channel of the fleet was filled with the screams of the civilians¡­ The crew of the Lorraine looked at him in silence. In just a few seconds¡­ ¡°Captain! What should we do?!¡± Hearing the anxious voice, Doyle only turned around and glanced at the adjutant. After adjusting the military cap with the insignia on his head. ¡°Attack.¡± His voice was loud and calm without a trace of hesitation. ¡°I only have one order.¡± ¡°That¡¯s to move forward and attack!¡± Chapter 33 - Worm Chapter 33 Worm This was a battle that had no suspense from the start. The huge gap between the two fleets had already reached the point where one could feel despair just by looking at it. The total tonnage of the garrison fleet could not even compare to the size of a raiding ship owned by the other party, not to mention that the Great Khan had many steel behemoths that far exceeded the level of battleships. Almost everyone firmly believed that the tiny fleet would immediately turn around and leave before the swarm of raiders arrived. Yes, if those people were still sane¡­ However, in the next second, they were surprised to find that not only did the fleet not retreat, but they also launched into battle formation under the lead of Lorraine and drove at full speed towards the Great Khan¡¯s fleet. This was undoubtedly suicidal. Under the barrage of hundreds of battleships, that insignificant fleet could not even last a few minutes. However, in the end, they still went. Like moths to a flame, they charged towards the enemy that they knew they could not defeat. Looking at the huge fleet slowly approaching from afar, Captain Doyle¡¯s heart was calm at this moment. His gaze was fixed on the terrifying warship commanded by the Great Khan himself, and a crazy plan had long been brewing in his heart. Under his command, a total of 28 frigates in the team had spread out around Lorraine, enveloping the old cruiser like a satellite. Not long after, as the fleet gradually entered the firing range of the large-caliber cannons, the captain¡¯s loud voice sounded from the originally quiet cabin again. ¡°Spread out! Be prepared to deal with the impact!¡± It could be foreseen that at such a distance, the other party would definitely use the range advantage of the ship cannons to launch the first round of bombardment. Whether they could survive this round of attack was the key to this operation. Unexpectedly, as time passed, the expected intense attack did not come. On the contrary, the huge fleet actually took the initiative to stop, as if they were waiting for something. This clearly confused Captain Doyle, but just as the fleet was only 1,500 kilometers away from the other party. ¡°Captain! A small team is attacking us! There are about 50 of them!¡± As soon as the observer finished speaking, a pirate fleet made of small ships was approaching the team at high speed. It was only now that he understood that the raiders had actually issued him an invitation to a duel with the mentality of a game. His determination and anger were only entertainment in the other party¡¯s eyes¡­ How humiliating was this! At this moment, Captain Doyle silently made up his mind. Since the other party treated him as an insect, he would show that arrogant fellow¡­ Even insects could bite people!! As the two fleets gradually approached, a fierce battle inevitably broke out. In terms of performance, the corvettes of the marauders were better. At this moment, they were like sharp steel blades that pierced through Doyle¡¯s team at an astonishing speed. The guards relied on the firepower of Lorraine to counterattack. In an instant, the fleet fell into a bloody battle. Although they had the support of cruisers, the difference in experience between the two sides could not be made up. The swift and fierce pirate gunships were like low-altitude vultures, and at least one frigate would fall with every dive. What was strange was that even though they suffered unbearable losses, every time a raider tried to attack the cruiser in the middle of the fleet, they would immediately encounter a storm of counterattacks. Some ships would even take the initiative to take fatal damage for Lorraine without caring about their own safety. No one knew why they did this. Soon, they were almost there¡­ With the fleet¡¯s desperate breakthrough, the battered Lorraine, shielded by the frigates, finally reached the Great Khan¡¯s flagship. Through the distant porthole, Captain Doyle could even vaguely see the figure on the bridge. At this moment, a weak voice sounded in the communication channel again. ¡°Captain¡­ please take care of yourself¡­¡± As soon as that person finished speaking, another frigate suffered a lot of damage and exploded at the core, sinking forever in the sea of stars. After witnessing all this with his own eyes, Captain Doyle looked very calm, but from his clenched fists, it was obvious that the other party had already fallen into a rage. In the next second, he ordered in a slightly trembling tone. ¡°Overload reactor¡­¡¯ ¡°Transferring all the power to the main engine.¡± Soon, a piercing alarm began to sound in the bridge, indicating that Lorraine¡¯s reactor would completely melt down in 120 seconds. This would result in a violent explosion. If the distance was close enough, it would rely on the full impact of the ship and the huge power produced by the explosion. Even heavily armored battleships would inevitably suffer damage, and if the explosion happened to be at the critical point of the battleship, the power it could cause would increase exponentially. It was only then that the raiders finally reacted. It turned out that Doyle¡¯s fleet had been eyeing the Great Khan¡¯s vehicle from the beginning. Then, they were greeted by the violent storm of attacks from Lorraine. However, even though it was penetrated many times by large-caliber shells, none of them could stop Lorraine. The Lorraine, wrapped in fire, was like a high-speed cannonball. Under the shocked gazes of the civilian fleet behind him, and under the slogan ¡°Long live the motherland¡± that echoed for a long time in the fleet channel, he crashed heavily into the bridge of the Great Khan. The moment the explosion happened, Lorraine seemed to have transformed into a newborn star. The scorching light it emitted burned in the cold void for 160 seconds. But when the light dissipated¡­ It was only then that people were surprised to find that the deformed warship that seemed to have come from the depths of hell was still floating unscathed in the middle of the raider fleet. At this moment, a layer of light purple energy surrounded its twisted body like a soft gauze. It was the Void Shield system of the battleship. Under its protection, Lorraine¡¯s desperate attacks were useless. The counterattack from the insects failed. These poor fellows could not even bite the other party. Under the absolute difference in strength, all the efforts of the weak seemed so laughable. Now, there was no longer any force that could stop them. The tragedy that belonged to Lorraine had ended, but the tragedy that belonged to the civilian fleet had only just begun¡­ In the entire universe, this was just an ordinary event that would soon be ignored. Nothing would change because of this. Chapter 34 - Preliminary Results Chapter 34 Preliminary Results In the solemn hall, a member of parliament in uniform was standing in the middle of the round hall, reporting the recent situation to the representatives of the various countries on the stage. This was the meeting place of the Galaxy Community. The overall layout of the room was in the shape of a staircase. Sitting at the lowest level were the general representatives of the various member states. The members of the member states who were in charge of guiding the meeting were sitting on the lower level. At the top of the hall, there were four prominent independent platforms. Those were the executives¡¯ seats for this meeting. At this moment, Princess Clara from the Amarian Empire was listening to the report of the Great Khan below the stage with a bored expression. ¡°That¡¯s the damage statistics for the various star zones. Without a doubt, this raider force has already become a disaster that can¡¯t be ignored.¡± As soon as the councilman finished speaking, the originally quiet meeting hall gradually began to buzz with discussions. It was obvious that they were very worried about the Great Khan¡¯s appearance. According to the councilman¡¯s report, the existence of the Great Khan united the originally divided raider forces. To date, they had occupied more than four planets and colonies, as well as several mineral centers with rich reserves. He had more than 500 battleships under him, and more than 10 million soldiers. From its description alone, its military might was comparable to that of a medium-sized empire, and these numbers continued to increase as the plundering progressed. The purpose of this meeting of the Community was to discuss whether the Community needed to jointly send troops to eradicate it and, if necessary, who should take the lead in this operation. At this moment, the Huan Yu Enterprise representative from the middle level of the parliament hall slowly spoke. ¡°Is the situation really as serious as you say? I think you¡¯re purely exaggerating. It¡¯s impossible to afford the daily energy consumption of 500 warships with just four planets. Even for a company, it¡¯s not a small expense.¡± His words were not unreasonable. Such a large number of battleships could not be maintained by just four planets and a few mineral centers. However, as soon as the representative finished speaking, a meaningful voice came from the board of directors. ¡°That¡¯s right, but if someone is supporting them from behind and wants to use this opportunity to make a huge profit, it¡¯s hard to say.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± There was no doubt that the meeting, which had been going smoothly, had successfully stirred up a debate under a debate under all kinds of suspicion and suspicion. Hearing the chaos below the stage, Clara, who was sitting in the judging seat, sighed helplessly. If nothing went wrong, this dispute would continue for a while. However, at this moment, someone suddenly mentioned it in the crowd. ¡°Everyone, what if I say that they have ancient artifacts in their hands?¡± This time, the originally noisy meeting hall instantly fell silent. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but cast their gazes on the council member who spoke of the ancient artifacts, including Clara. ¡°Not long ago, my people accepted a group of refugees who had fled. Those outsiders came from the hostile tribes of the Great Khan.¡± ¡°According to them, the Great Khan was able to raise such a large army in short order because he had the help of ancient creation artifacts. It was said to be a Dyson sphere device from ancient humans.¡± ¡°It¡¯s precisely because of the near-infinite energy and the continuous plundering of resources that the factories occupied by the Great Khan can continuously produce fleets.¡± ¡°And the Khan seems to have more than that in his possession¡­¡± The moment they heard this, the representatives present all revealed expressions of disbelief. A human-made Dyson sphere device? In the hands of the Great Khan? Although it sounded unbelievable, it was not completely impossible. In the past hundred years, the members of the Galaxy Community had carried out many investigations of the Milky Way. However, many areas were still unexplored for various reasons. The reason for this was that the Milky Way was simply too vast. Other than the mysterious and powerful Lost Empires and the few wanderer civilizations with strange whereabouts, no other faction had been able to uncover all the secrets hidden in the Milky Way by themselves. Just as everyone was still discussing the existence of the ancient creation, the councilman from before continued to add. ¡°There¡¯s another thing. Recently, a large number of detection ships from unknown civilizations have appeared in the 4th Star Zone in the northwest. I suspect that this might be related to the rise of the Great Khan.¡± An unknown civilization¡¯s detection ship? And in the remote and desolate 4th Star Zone? It had to be said that this was also rather interesting news. Because if he remembered correctly, apart from the Kata Planet, which was known as the World of the Dead, there were not many places that could support life. ¡°Quiet!¡± Just as the scene was still discussing, a dignified voice sounded from above the hall. The representatives present looked up one after another and saw that the person who spoke was the assistant officer beside the princess. Obviously, this meant that the princess called Clara had something to say. For a moment, they all looked at the platform and focused on the solemn girl holding the lion scepter. The other party only gave a simple description. ¡°After my discussion with Her Majesty, the Amarian Empire has decided to intervene in this matter. In the next week, we will prioritize evaluating this matter and finally decide whether to launch an expedition against the Great Khan. At that time, I hope that everyone can provide the necessary assistance.¡± Her high and mighty tone was more like a notice than a statement of news. The reason why the Amarian Empire suddenly agreed to take over the extermination of the Great Khan was naturally not for such a stupid reason like love and peace. Unsurprisingly, their real target was the ancient creation in Khan¡¯s hands-the Dyson sphere facility. The representatives in the parliament hall were naturally well aware of this, but the problem was that apart from the Amarian Empire and the other three civilizations, it seemed difficult to find anyone else who could fight the Great Khan head-on. On the other side, after nearly two months of development, the small base that belonged to Gu Fan had already taken shape. During this period of time, he had sent more than ten Arclight-level research ships to carry out a carpet search of the surrounding galaxies. Therefore, he now had a clearer understanding of his environment. What interested him the most was that the research ship piloted by the synthetic man successfully brought back relevant information about the Great Khan. According to reliable intelligence, there was a large-scale pirate base in the central galaxy of the Third Star Zone next door. The research ship had discovered traces of a Dyson Sphere. If nothing went wrong, this should be the facility occupied by the Great Khan that Lilym mentioned not long ago. The next goal was clear. While the Great Khan was busy fighting and the rear defense was empty. Gu Fan planned to take the initiative to attack that place. It would be best if he could gather the technological information about the Dyson Sphere and the stored information in the human outposts at once. Such a goal naturally required the help of a fleet. After two months of full development, other than the Glory Queen class, Gu Fan already had a fleet of 60 specially modified frigates. However, before that, he still had one place he wanted to go. It was a dead planet filled with poisonous miasma discovered by the research ship a few days ago. According to the scans, there was a high possibility that a light aircraft carrier belonging to the Human Empire was sinking under the surface of the poisonous swamp. Chapter 35 - Uninvited Audience Chapter 35 Uninvited Audience In the deserted wilderness of 4th Star Zone, a small fleet was carefully sailing on the route. The Glory Queen command ship and 22 specially modified corvettes were the full strength of this fleet. On the bridge, Gu Fan, as the fleet commander, was standing in front of the porthole at the moment, examining the Viper-class fire support ships that surrounded the warship and were in charge of guarding it. Although these little fellows were defined as frigates in the technological category, from the special firepower configuration and the size of the ship, it did not seem too much to call them destroyers. After only two months or so, the colony on Kata Star had developed steadily with the resources obtained from Soma No. 4. He now even had his own fleet. Gu Fan was naturally very satisfied with this situation. In addition, in order to have enough manpower, he also ordered the construction of a new synthetic human factory in the colony. The research ships that were exploring outside, including the frigates in this fleet, were actually piloted by the synthetics. This would save Xue Feng a lot of energy and allow her to do more for him. Looking at the scenery outside the window and recalling what he had seen and heard in the past few months, Gu Fan, who felt a little tired, could not help but sigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to become a fleet commander one day¡­¡± A moment later, he unintentionally glanced at Xue Feng from the corner of his eye. With the help of the reflection on the porthole, he saw that Xue Feng had appeared behind him at some point in time. She was like a cat, always moving silently. Seeing that the other party seemed to have something to say, Gu Fan silently turned around, and his gaze subconsciously swept across Xue Feng¡¯s body. ¡°Do you have something to report?¡± Xue Feng merely nodded in silence. ¡°According to the report of the research ship No. 6, they have discovered a large creature wandering in the void thirty-five light-years away. Therefore, they plan to ask if they need to make further observations.¡± ¡°In addition, Lilym has requested to introduce new ingredients. If possible, she hopes to capture the aether dragon discovered not long ago.¡± Just as Xue Feng was reporting calmly, Gu Fan happened to notice that there seemed to be a leaf-shaped hair clip stuck in her grayish-white hair that fell to her shoulders. For some reason, Xue Feng seemed to have become more and more girlish recently. The most obvious characteristic was that she actually started to learn how to dress up. From time to time, there would be some cute accessories on her. ¡°Let Ship No. 6 continue to observe. We need to understand every environment as much as possible. As for Lilym¡­¡¯ ¡°Tell her that thing is not much smaller than a satellite. We don¡¯t have the energy to compete with that thing for the time being.¡± After getting a clear answer, Xue Feng nodded silently. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go and inform them.¡± However, the moment she turned around, a few bows made of ribbons attracted Gu Fan¡¯s attention again, causing him to mutter in his heart. ¡°Is it because of those comics?¡± As the former person in charge of that base was a young girl called Noira, Gu Fan had discovered many entertainment-related products when he was sorting out the information she had left behind. For example, there were a total of 400 popular games, as well as an uncountable number of comics and novels. Gu Fan wasn¡¯t sure if Xue Feng had read these, but ever since he accidentally stuffed a few comics into her storage unit last time, the other party¡¯s appearance had started to become a little strange. At this moment, an emotionless electronic voice suddenly came from the communicator by Gu Fan¡¯s ear. ¡°The fleet has reached the designated galaxy. No threatening targets have been found.¡± Through the window, he saw a dead gray planet in front of the fleet. It was the destination of this operation. -A wasteland planet named Hera. ¡°Keep No. 2 and No. 4 on their toes,¡± As soon as Gu Fan finished speaking, the wreckage of the spaceships around the planet became clearer. According to the preliminary investigation of the research ship, this planet called Hera might have belonged to a production world of a foreign race many years ago. It could be seen that Hera should have been quite prosperous in the past, but now, other than the ruins of buildings and the remains of various war machines, this planet had become an absolute forbidden zone for life. Due to the severe damage to the planet¡¯s environment, a highly toxic rainfall that had lasted for many years had already created a swampy plain of more than a thousand square kilometers on the planet¡¯s surface. And in it was an aircraft carrier that had once belonged to the Human Empire. It was a modified battlecruiser. After many scans by the research ship, this precious mothership was still in relatively good condition. It had not suffered fatal injuries that were difficult to recover from. If nothing went wrong, it was very likely that it was the culprit who caused Hera¡¯s destruction. These foreign races might have fought for the ownership of this mothership. In order to carry out the salvage plan smoothly, Gu Fan specially brought out a batch of rather rare nanomaterials from the base on Kata. As long as the mothership at the bottom of the swamp could regain engine power, it was very likely that the huge ship, which had been sunk for many years, would return to the sky with the help of the engineering servants. At the thought of this, Gu Fan could not help but feel excited. However, just as Gu Fan¡¯s fleet was ready and had already sent the engineering team that he had chosen in advance to the surface of Hera¡­ Suddenly, he heard a report from research ship No. 4 on the communication channel. ¡°Sensor detected that an unfamiliar fleet has appeared near the galaxy you are at.¡± Hearing this, Gu Fan could not help but smack his lips. ¡°Why did he have to choose such a time when he was at a disadvantage¡­¡± The salvage work had only just begun. Even if he wanted to recycle it, it was not something that could be done immediately. It felt like you had just been given shower gel and your roommate suddenly told you that there was only one minute left before the water stopped. ¡°Is there any way to confirm their identities?¡± Just as Gu Fan was still fantasizing that perhaps it was just a passing atmosphere group and would not really affect him¡­ The other party¡¯s next sentence made him fall silent. ¡°Target confirmed to be the specially marked Great Khan.¡± ¡°A total of 147 warships are heading in your direction.¡± Tsk, I just want to quietly fish up a boat. Why were there suddenly so many uninvited audience members? Chapter 36 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Although the experience of being disturbed was terrible, due to the number of enemy fleets, Gu Fan decided to temporarily avoid them and gave the order to temporarily stop the salvage work on the aircraft carrier. However, he did not choose to leave this place. Instead, after mobilizing a research ship to continue monitoring the galaxy, he ordered the fleet to hide behind a planet far away from the galactic channel. There must be a reason for this abnormality. This place was an entire star zone away from the pirates¡¯ base. Gu Fan wanted to know why these guys would come all the way to such a desolate galaxy without any warning. Hopefully, they were just passing by¡­ Not long after, when Gu Fan¡¯s small fleet had just hidden themselves, a large-scale warp reaction quickly came from the channel in the southeast of the galaxy. It was the Great Khan¡¯s fleet. With the help of the sensor view of the research ship, the full view of that fleet was quickly displayed in the bridge hall of the Glory Queen. In order to further confirm the other party¡¯s identity, Gu Fan contacted Lilym, who was far away in the colonial base, and sent her a copy of the scene of the fleet. Not long after, the other party¡¯s surprised and angry voice came through the ship¡¯s communicator. ¡°Ah! That¡¯s him! That¡¯s the Great Khan¡¯s personal vehicle!¡± Oh? The Great Khan himself had personally led a team here? It was so grand that he did not know what they were up to. A moment later, under Gu Fan¡¯s confused gaze, the Khan fleet on the screen actually flew straight towards Planet Hera. In an instant, a bad premonition began to spread in his heart. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ These guys couldn¡¯t be here to snatch the ship from me, right? Just like that, Gu Fan watched with his own eyes as the huge fleet docked in Hera¡¯s orbit. Then, more than ten speed boats used for landing were launched from the fleet into the planet¡¯s surface. In order to figure out what those people were doing, Gu Fan immediately ordered the research ship hiding in the dark to send out a reconnaissance drone and follow the landing team into Hera¡¯s atmosphere. However, in the next second, when the drone¡¯s image was transmitted back, what appeared in front of him was a tragic scene that was like hell. These first passengers did not seem to know the dangers of Planet Hera. Under the continuous erosion of the highly corrosive acid rain, some spaceships did not even last until they landed before they malfunctioned and fell to the surface of the swamp. As for those who were lucky enough to land, the moment the door of the spaceship opened, the poisonous miasma that had permeated Hera¡¯s surface for hundreds of years poured into the cabin with the change in air pressure. Those emaciated and slave-like outsiders did not even have time to cry for help before they were killed by the vicious poison amidst miserable cries. Witnessing this, Gu Fan was shocked speechless for a moment. From their performance, the commander of this fleet did not even investigate the planet¡¯s environment before hurriedly giving the order to land. It was as if he was deliberately sending them to their deaths¡­ As the first batch of landing members were wiped out amidst wails, the second batch of passengers carrying breathing aids were quickly sent to the surface of the planet again. It was only then that Gu Fan understood that this was the method used by the Great Khan to investigate the planet¡¯s environment. However, even if they were slaves, it would be a waste to use them like this. This was enough to show that the existence called the Great Khan was really anxious, anxious to obtain something from this dangerous environment. When another batch of spaceships carrying engineering equipment approached the surface and began to speed towards a certain swamp area, Gu Fan was almost certain. The target of those people was the buried aircraft carrier, because there were no other remnants in that area. During the silence, the raider soldiers had already thrown several steel cables into the muddy swamp. It seemed that they planned to use the most primitive method to pull the mothership out of the mud. This time, Gu Fan could no longer sit still. Fishing out my boat in front of me? Who could tolerate this? It seemed that he had to give them a little surprise. ¡­ ¡­ In the orbit of Planet Hera, the fleet personally commanded by the Great Khan was paying attention to the progress of the search for the lost ship. According to the information obtained by chance from the curator not long ago, a human battleship had accidentally fallen in the rift valley of Planet Hera a thousand years ago, and it had yet to be found. The Great Khan himself showed great interest in such news, so much so that he specially drew out a fleet from the fleet that was plundering the outside world. After bringing enough slave laborers, he immediately began this treasure-hunting trip. All the pirates present firmly believed that as long as they could get the help of the lost ship, the war drum of the Great Khan would definitely resound throughout the entire universe one day. An era that would never end, filled with slaughter and plunder, was about to begin. However, just as everyone was still looking forward to seeing the true appearance of the ancient relic¡­ Almost at the same time, every warship present received a lock-on warning from the sensors. Before they could figure out the situation in front of them, a silver light suddenly shot out from the dark side of Hera¡¯s orbit like a holy spear. With incredible speed, the brilliant light split the vast fleet into two sides. The point of the spearhead stabbed directly at the Great Khan¡¯s vehicle. For a moment, the giant ship that sensed the threat quickly activated the Void Shield that was filled with energy a second before the light spear pierced into the armor. The light purple shield and the silver spear collided, instantly emitting a gorgeous and dazzling light. However, the battle between the spear and the shield only lasted for a few seconds. Not long after, as the engine of the battleship gradually extinguished, the shield around the ship began to gradually weaken. However, the brightness of the light spear did not decrease at all. Instead, the energy torrent flowing with the light of stardust became even stronger. Finally, at a certain moment, when the Void Shield¡¯s engine could not withstand any more damage, the huge spear finally shattered the warship¡¯s defense. The surging energy was instantly injected into the body of the battleship, moving along every pipe inside the ship. Everything happened so quickly that the huge fleet finally reacted. The so-called indestructible flagship, the Conqueror , which the Great Khan himself had flown, had been torn to pieces by the surging energy. Not even a complete frame had been left behind. Looking at the Khan who was sent into the sky by the light spear in the distance, such a familiar scene reminded Gu Fan of the Amarian fleet that had rashly barged into the solar system a few months ago. So that guy died so easily? To be honest, Gu Fan originally did not intend to interfere directly. After all, to him, the more chaotic this universe was, the more opportunities he would have to develop. But he had no choice. Who asked him to target something he shouldn¡¯t have¡­ While he was thinking, the Viper-class frigates around the Glory Queen had already rushed towards the leaderless Khan¡¯s fleet. He believed that it would not be long before this unexpected battle ended. ¡­ ¡­ At the same time, while Gu Fan¡¯s fleet was still chasing after the remaining warships, in the distant void. An Amarian reconnaissance plane tracking the Great Khan¡¯s movements was silently recording this shocking scene. The scene just now had already been transmitted to Amarian¡¯s royal council. Chapter 37 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Have you heard? The Great Khan is dead¡­¡± ¡°How is that possible? Did you get hysteria from inhaling drugs? That guy is in the limelight now. Even the allied forces of the Community can¡¯t do anything to him for the time being. Could he explode on the spot just like that?¡± ¡°What he said might be true. This morning, a friend of mine who works for the Star Zone government revealed to me that the flagship of the Great Khan has been confirmed to have sunk in the 4th Star Zone, although we can¡¯t be sure if he¡¯s dead or not.¡± Right now, in the galaxy market in the 5th Star Zone, the news of the Great Khan¡¯s death had undoubtedly locked the number one spot on the local popularity rankings like a wildfire. Some said that he had died in an accident, while others said that he had died in an internal struggle and in a rebellion. There were all kinds of unconfirmed news. There were even some not-so-famous Psionic Associations who took the initiative to jump out and claim that the Great Khan had been cursed to death by their own actions. Of course, compared to this unreliable news, most people were more inclined to believe that the Great Khan¡¯s death was very likely related to an unknown lost imperial civilization. A certain powerful existence launched an efficient assassination on the Great Khan himself for reasons that were temporarily unknown. As for the evidence, it was a blurry video. On the screen, a silver light flashed through the Great Khan¡¯s fleet without warning, followed by a series of violent explosions. An active lost civilization with an unknown origin was undoubtedly news worth paying attention to for the entire Galaxy Community. Who were they? What kind of attitude did they have towards the Galaxy Community? In order to facilitate communication, some people combined the characteristics of this civilization and called this brand new force [Adjudicator]. For a moment, the entire Galaxy Community¡¯s communication platform was filled with relevant discussions. ¡­ ¡­ In the distant 4th Star Zone, Gu Fan¡¯s mood was even happier than if he had eaten honey. After the tireless efforts of the engineer servants, the mothership that had sunk into the Hera Poisonous Swamp was successfully salvaged. After some simple maintenance and cleaning, with the help of the rapid restoration function of nanomaterials, Gu Fan managed to restore the basic power of the huge ship that had been sleeping for a thousand years. As an aircraft carrier modified from a battlecruiser, it was not much smaller than the Glory Queen in terms of size. After the extra gun emplacements and unrelated cabins were removed, a total of six flagship hangars were placed under the deck of the huge ship. In theory, it could release 150 different types of naval aircraft at once. Such a number was enough for it to fight for the control of a certain starfield for the entire fleet. However, the prerequisite was that it was intact. Currently, with the support of the engineering ship, the ship was being dragged slowly in the middle of the team like a giant beast on a stroll. Although part of the engine¡¯s power was barely restored, that was all. After a detailed inspection, most of the system components inside the mothership were not seriously damaged, but it was not something that could be recovered in a short period of time. Even now, there was still a large amount of dirty poisonous mud in her pipes. Even the most important hangar and core cabin had a lot of foul-smelling mud left behind. Her dirty appearance made her look very pitiful. It was as if he was a rich young lady who had just been rescued from the orcs¡¯ nest. If not for someone holding her hand, even her walking posture would be shaky. However, Gu Fan wasn¡¯t too worried about that. Although the base on Kata still didn¡¯t have the ability to build large warships, the repair work could still be done. At this moment, he was excitedly reading a report from the frontline research ship. The content was about the Dyson Sphere device that had been taken away by the Great Khan. However, when he saw the deformed building that had been modified beyond recognition, Gu Fan, who was sitting in the captain¡¯s seat, could not help but smack his lips. ¡°Don¡¯t these guys know what an illegal building is?¡± According to the images sent back, the incomplete Dyson sphere had now been transformed by the Great Khan¡¯s subordinates into a deformed product that combined factory outposts and residential areas. A large number of abandoned spaceships and captured asteroid fragments were connected by their violent industrial technology through welding. Then, they were roughly connected to the frame of the Dyson sphere as a cluster of buildings. Just like that, layer by layer, the raiders actually used this simple and crude method to move their capital onto the Dyson Sphere. From afar, it looked like an orbit of space trash. Gu Fan could understand such behavior. After all, although they had the Dyson Sphere, which was a star-level energy production building, these low-level pirates did not know how to use the energy produced efficiently. That was why they used such a direct method to connect the entire capital and the factory of the warship to the Dyson Sphere through physical means. What a waste of God¡¯s gift. Other than that, Gu Fan could not think of any other word that could describe the actions of these raiders. However, this was not important at the moment. After the mothership was repaired, Gu Fan planned to send a fleet to the galaxy where the Dyson Sphere was located. His goal wasn¡¯t to seize the ownership of the giant structure. That place was too remote, and it was at the core of the pirates¡¯ power. Although the Great Khan had died, the huge empire he had built would not immediately perish. Once he occupied that place at this time, he would definitely be attacked by all the raider tribes. This was obviously not in line with Gu Fan¡¯s plan. What he really wanted to do was to use the deconstruction device that he had obtained in Kata¡¯s laboratory to do a technical scan analysis of the Dyson Sphere and try to create the technological template of the Dyson Sphere. Once he succeeded, it would be equivalent to having the technology to build the Dyson Sphere. If everything went smoothly, he could even go back and record the Stargate technology he had encountered not long ago. At the thought of this, Gu Fan silently raised his hand and stretched. He seemed to be in a good mood. Relying on the efforts of the colony of Kata and the research ships, he accumulated his strength while searching for information about humans and observers. It seemed that everything was developing in a better direction, as long as he could maintain this momentum. A moment later, Gu Fan turned on the ship¡¯s radio station with a happy mood and tuned it to the Milky Way Public Channel. He planned to listen to the news from the outside and understand what major events had happened in the Milky Way today. However, the moment he received the broadcast signal, he heard a familiar location coming intermittently. ¡°4th Star Zone¡­¡± Hm? The 4th Star Zone? Then, when the translator completely presented the contents of the broadcast to Gu Fan, the news inside confused him. ¡°After discussions with the Galaxy Community, the 4th Star Zone has been set up as a no-fly zone. The coalition government has already started the contact plan with the unknown civilization [Adjudicator]. At the moment, we can¡¯t determine if it poses a threat to the Milky Way.¡± Adjudicator? What the hell was that? However, in the next second, when Gu Fan started to search for the content through the community¡¯s public network, a headline suddenly caught his attention. [Suspected scene of battle between the Adjudicator and the Great Khan.] With trepidation, Gu Fan entered the public information section. However, when he saw the video that was displayed, For a moment, Gu Fan felt as if countless Ramchis were crawling quickly on his body. The content of the video was the entire process of him beating up the Great Khan in Hera¡¯s orbit not long ago. Looking at the words about the Adjudicator and the Lost Empire, Gu Fan could no longer remain calm. Chapter 38 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios [Shocking! A super civilization hidden in the 4th Star Zone!] ¡­ [Are the Adjudicators monitoring us?] ¡­ In the database of the base on Kata, Gu Fan was reading the media news from the Galaxy Community through the external network worriedly. Undoubtedly, news about the death of the Great Khan and the Adjudicator had been pushed to an unprecedented height under the competitive reporting of several large companies. Even the video of the battle had been edited by the media and priced at 10,000 star coins. It was sold to curious netizens who wanted to see the true appearance of the ¡°adjudicator¡±. In an instant, more and more eyewitness reports about the adjudicators were published. Although most of them were unrelated content, this made Gu Fan even more worried about the current situation. He did not expect that his first operation would expose his tracks¡­ However, he was not afraid of what would happen to the members of the Galaxy Community. According to the recent investigation results, these guys were clearly not a threat to him. Even the Amarian Empire, which had inherited the heritage of mankind, had been specially investigated by him in detail when he was free. Due to the decay of its internal religion and noble system, such a huge empire had actually stagnated in the field of science and technology for a full 300 years. Even now, it was only relying on the legacy left behind by humans in the past to maintain its bloated size. In other words, according to the results of the civilization evaluation, this civilization called Amarian could not really affect him in the short term. They might even disintegrate on their own. What really worried Gu Fan were the existences known as the lost empires. Through continuous observation of them recently, Gu Fan realized that these civilizations were very likely to belong to the same era as humans. For example, the special civilization that the community called the Guardians of the Holy Land had most likely inherited their technology from the ancient Saints, the former enemies of mankind. Similar to the ancient saints of the past, the citizens of the Guardians of the Holy Land were also gifted with spiritual energy. However, due to the effects of spiritual energy depletion, the citizens of the Sacred Grounds had announced the closure of their sovereign borders hundreds of years ago and began a painful cultivation that lasted until now in an attempt to free their citizens from the negative effects of spiritual energy depletion. Through the recent clues about these ancient civilizations and the traces in history, Gu Fan gradually obtained a shocking truth. Ever since the Wither Disease eradicated the human empire a thousand years ago, a disaster known as the Great Depletion had occurred in the Milky Way, just like what Wilm had described in Soma No. 4. The great depletion caused the spiritual energy in the Milky Way to almost disappear without a trace for a period of time. Therefore, a large number of species that relied heavily on spiritual energy suffered a devastating blow almost overnight. Just like the human empire that had disappeared, because of the sudden appearance of the Great Depletion, humanity¡¯s former enemies, the Star God and the Saints, gradually walked off the stage of history. In just a few hundred years, the forces in the entire Milky Way had completed a large-scale change, as if something was deliberately manipulating everything behind the scenes. ¡­ ¡­ Just as Gu Fan was about to search for more information about the adjudicators on the Internet, a search record suddenly popped up in the search column and caught his attention. [Mission 2042, Clearance Of The Eighth Level] ¡°?¡± This was a search record from the database of the base. The time of the search was this morning. Looking at such a strange search information, Gu Fan did not know where to start complaining. Could someone else have entered this place? But the problem was, other than himself and Xue Feng, how could anyone else have access to the core area? Could it be Xue Feng? But why? With doubts in his heart, Gu Fan took the opportunity to check the search records of the past month in the database room. The strange thing was that the records inside were cleaner than expected, as if they had been deliberately cleaned. In the end, after using his authority as a manager, Gu Fan found the deleted access records and a new file that should not have appeared in the system program. When he clicked on the file called [Important Information], a total of 105,000 comic books and a collection of video games including one called Call of Duty appeared on the screen. ¡°En?¡± Looking at the electronic book documents that were sorted and stored separately according to the theme and reading progress, Gu Fan fell into even greater confusion. At this moment, the sealed door outside the database was slowly opened, and Xue Feng walked in unhurriedly. ¡°Research ship No. 8 has some new discoveries to report to you. They said¡­¡± However, before Xue Feng could say anything, she saw the comics and novel documents on the screen in front of Gu Fan. She was a little surprised. For Gu Fan, this was the first time he had seen such an expression on Xue Feng¡¯s face. For this reason, he could vaguely guess the owner of these records and documents. However, before he could say anything, the screen that was still lit up suddenly went out. Obviously, Xue Feng had taken the initiative to cut off the power of the database. For a moment, the atmosphere in the venue seemed to become a little awkward. In the dark environment, Gu Fan stared at the pair of wine-red eyes. He really did not know what to say. This moment where he unintentionally exposed someone else¡¯s secret was really difficult to deal with. However, what was surprising was that Xue Feng was so interested in these things. This situation was more or less beyond Gu Fan¡¯s imagination. ¡­ ¡­ At the same time, in the Northern Star Region of the 6th Star Region, a huge colonial spaceship called the Wailing Cryer was transporting their passengers to a beautiful planet that was like paradise. After a long period of observation, this young race was overjoyed to discover that there was actually an ownerless planet that was suitable for habitation within a galactic distance of their home planet. The near-perfect climate and abundant resources on the planet excited the scientists of this young race just as the colonial spacecraft arrived on that planet. The excited scholars even held a public press conference on their home planet with the support of the planetary government. In the conference, the excited officials shouted in excited voices. ¡°We will use this place as the starting point to conquer the universe!¡± ¡°From today onwards, this Planet Gaia will be the proof of our race¡¯s prosperity!¡± ¡°We want everyone to understand that our great nation is invincible!¡± ¡°A new era for us is about to begin!¡± However, what they did not know was that when the colonists stepped onto the planet and immediately began to use industrial equipment to sweep through the local resources and ruins, their fate and the fate of their race had already begun to end. The very next day, as the young leader was about to start the day¡¯s work, his secretary gave him surprising news. A civilization that claimed to be the Guardians of the Holy Land had inexplicably declared war on them, but their declaration of war only contained a short sentence. ¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s be frank!!!¡± Chapter 39 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The next day, as dawn arrived in the universe, the national media of the various Star Zones unanimously released an unbelievable piece of news. Its popularity even exceeded that of the Great Khan and the mysterious Adjudicator. In the Northern Star Region of the 6th Star Region, a young civilization that had yet to officially join the Galaxy Community had actually ignored the warnings of the Guardians of the Holy Land and occupied the place of pilgrimage that they had protected and longed for in every way. It was a Planet Gaia called the Prophet¡¯s Secluded Residence. Even worse, when the guards angrily sent another notice, the first thing they saw was countless barbaric and huge industrial machines violently plowing the planet¡¯s sacred land. In just a few days, these savage and arrogant youths had already dug up a huge amount of relics from the ancient holy land. Looking at the ruined land, the guards felt their vision turn black with anger. According to reliable sources, the guardians, who had once announced that they were going to cultivate forever, had now sent their punishing fleet, which even included a mammoth-class unit. It was a nightmare-level weapon that could completely destroy an entire planet with one strike. It seemed that these guardians could not wait to communicate their views on this matter with the young people who had just entered the universe. At the same time, the Galaxy Community, which received the news, immediately rejected the application of this young civilization to join the Community and took the initiative to issue a statement saying that this matter had nothing to do with the Community. ¡­ ¡­ On the other side, in the database of the Kata colony, the two of them had tacitly changed the topic. ¡°In other words, the Guardians are ready to move, right?¡± According to Xue Feng¡¯s report, Gu Fan already knew about the bravery of that young civilization. However, in his opinion, this matter did not seem to be worth paying attention to. It was just related to the demise of another civilization. ¡°According to Ship 8¡¯s report, there is an extremely rare and highly intelligent individual on that planet. He has an extremely deep understanding of many aspects, such as physics, machinery, and space science.¡± ¡°It could be said that he single-handedly pushed their entire civilization forward for six hundred years. If we can guide them a little, they should be able to contribute to us.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Hearing the report from Xue Feng, Gu Fan was obviously interested. He slowly stood up and looked thoughtfully at the gate leading to the underground research institute. An extremely rare genius was indeed a rather tempting existence. Compared to conventional material resources, a smart brain that could think and innovate was especially rare. Compared to AI, the brain of living beings was much slower. In the past, humans had indeed given more than 90% of their work to synthetic humans like Xue Feng. However, past experiences had shown that no matter how sophisticated AI was, there was always a gap between it and humans in some aspects. To the current Gu Fan, an existence that could carry out scientific research for him was indeed something he was extremely lacking. After all, while picking up trash all over the world to find the lost technology template, it would be best if he could further innovate and develop existing technology. If what Xue Feng said was true, then it would be a pity to let him die because of the stupidity of his compatriots. ¡°How confident are you that No. 8 will be able to get him to serve us?¡± ¡°Based on the evaluation results, there will be a probability of more than 88%.¡± Faced with the other party¡¯s answer, Gu Fan only sighed slightly. Then, he looked at Xue Feng¡¯s wine-red pupils again. ¡°Then go ahead and do it. I authorize them to use all necessary means, as long as the outcome is in our favor.¡± ¡°Yes, everything will be as you wish.¡± Just as the two of them were conversing¡­ The Normans in the 6th Star Region were holding an all-citizen assembly on their home planet. In the National Assembly Hall, the excited Normans were shouting passionate slogans. ¡°Attack the enemy!¡± ¡°Victory belongs to the Normans! We will never give in!¡± In the eyes of these angry citizens, there was no evidence to prove that the so-called Planet Gaia belonged to those arrogant guardians. These people were purely jealous. They simply wanted to take that precious planet for themselves. In their eyes, it was just a hegemonic civilization that was hundreds of years ahead of them. However, only those officials knew clearly that because of their stupidity, they had decided what kind of disaster they had brought to the Normans. Even so, until the last moment, these bureaucrats did not intend to tell the people the cruel truth. As they continued to distort the truth, these people had already secretly sent their wealth and family members to the nearby Star Zone that belonged to the Community. At the same time, they continued to incite hateful words that had long been like flames, so that until the last moment, the power in their hands would still be stable. Those who knew the truth but were unwilling to collude with them were also eliminated. These people were either labeled as traitors to surrenderism or found dead at home for some groundless crimes. The cause of death was suicide from being shot in the back of the head. Under the call of the mobilization conference, some councilmen even suggested that the entire Norman population fly a simple modified spaceship to participate in the war against the Guardians of the Holy Land. Finally, just as this ridiculous farce reached its climax, someone finally could not stand it anymore and stood up under the gazes of almost all the Normans. That person was Professor Makadoo, who was known as the Norman Hero. As the pioneer who led the entire Norman Race to achieve the Industrial Revolution and finally to the universe, Makadoo and his scientific team had always been extremely prestigious in the Norman society. It was also one of the sources of confidence for the Norman people. They believed that just like the disasters they had experienced in the past, with their confidence, courage, and Professor Makadoo¡¯s smart mind, the Normans would definitely survive this seemingly urgent crisis again. However, just as everyone was filled with anticipation and prepared to listen to the encouragement and suggestions of the old professor. In the next second, under the incredulous gazes of all the Normans, the old professor spoke slowly in a trembling voice. ¡­ ¡°Silly children, run¡­¡± Chapter 40 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios As soon as Professor Makadoo finished speaking, the originally lively atmosphere in the venue seemed to have frozen in an instant. Everyone, including the officials who were still stirring the atmosphere, looked at the worried old professor on the stage in disbelief. ¡°Wake up, children! This is a hopeless struggle! Our blind optimism and our arrogance will only bring destruction to our race.¡± ¡°Open your eyes and take a look! We¡¯ve never been the masters of this starry sky. Breaking through the shackles of the planet and stepping into the universe is only the first step we¡¯ve struggled to take.¡± ¡°This universe is even crueler than we imagined. Only by exploring and developing with a heart of reverence can our people truly have a place in this starry sky one day.¡± Professor Makadoo¡¯s majestic voice reverberated in the crowded venue. When his gaze swept across the crowd in front of him, there was surprise, anger, sorrow, and silence on their faces. Most of them were deeply puzzled. At this moment, what was pressing down on Makadoo¡¯s old body was the burden of a race. Even though the outcome was unknown, he still had to expose this cruel truth for his race. ¡°The technology of those guardians is far more advanced than ours by tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years. The battleships that we are so proud of are worthless targets in front of them. It¡¯s not too late¡­¡± ¡°As long as we retreat from Planet Gaia immediately and return the relics stolen from the tomb, there might still be room for negotiation¡­¡± However, not long after this imploring speech ended, a young general in a military uniform with accolades on his chest suddenly stood up. ¡°I will not allow anyone to insult my people in my presence! To insult the honorable and brave soldiers! Not even you!¡± These words were like a stone that stirred up a whirlpool in the originally silent venue. Under the increasing dissatisfaction, Professor Makadoo, who was originally called a hero, instantly became the target of public criticism. Gradually, the assembly became a trial ground for the professor. The senators who were trying to cover up the truth joined in and began to question Makadoo¡¯s true motives at the top of their lungs. ¡°Hang this cowardly traitor!¡± ¡°Burn him! Burn him!¡± ¡°The dignity of the nation cannot be slandered!¡± At this moment, listening to the vicious words coming from below the stage, Professor Makadoo finally understood what extreme authoritarianism, extreme nationalism, and extreme militarism could turn an originally intelligent and rational people into. ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± No matter how Makadoo defended himself, everything seemed so helpless in such an environment. Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Makadoo¡¯s students had no choice but to take the professor away from the venue before the crowd lost control. ¡­ ¡­ In the speeding car, Professor Makadoo looked at the crowd on the street and felt an indescribable complex emotion in his heart. At this moment, warships carrying soldiers were sailing from the surface into the night sky. They were going to reinforce the newly colonized Planet Gaia in the name of protecting the hard-won fruits of victory. Looking at the crazy citizens, Makadoo could not understand how such insignificant results could cause a nation to expand to its current state. It had clearly only eliminated some natives who were still using cold weapons in a few wars of celestial expansion and seized two barren and desolate planets. Not far away, the young soldiers were building fortifications on the ground. As a people who had tasted the sweetness of war, the Normans had always regarded the development of armaments as their first priority for the past few decades. Even the planet they lived on had been transformed into a fortress world filled with fortifications and artillery fortresses. On the car radio, a few hosts were joking with each other, claiming that if those funny-looking guardians of the Holy Land dared to land on their planet, they would immediately be exhausted by their long fortress and hundreds of millions of soldiers. Hearing this, Professor Makadoo muttered to himself in disappointment. ¡°These people don¡¯t even know that they¡¯re about to die¡­¡± In fact, from the beginning, Makadoo had warned more than once that colonizing Gaia was definitely a mistake. Before they understood the situation around them, they should continue to investigate or at least wait until the ambassador of the Galaxy Community arrived to consult the suggestions of these ancient civilizations. However, in the end, those people did not have the patience to wait for Dr. Makadoo to contact those aliens. Just as he deciphered the other party¡¯s language and understood what a holy land was and what a lost civilization was, Their clansmen, who had long been impatient, had already occupied that place and arrogantly rejected the communication from the Guardians of the Holy Land. They did not even bother to listen. By the time he could react, the declaration of war was already sent here. ¡°So what should we do next? Professor Makadoo¡ª¡± At the side, the student driving the car asked with a heavy heart. ¡°I don¡¯t know about Yum ¡­ I don¡¯t know ¡­¡± Not long after, as the car was about to reach the entrance of the research institute, intense flames suddenly burst out from the trash on the side of the road. Immediately after, there was a violent explosion. The sudden explosion sent the car that Professor Makadoo was sitting in flying and overturned in an empty space not far away. Everything happened so suddenly. When Professor Makadoo, who was dizzy from the shock, dragged his old body out of the shattered car window with difficulty. Not far away, a few blurry figures were slowly approaching him with guns in their hands. The student driving by the side had his throat cut by the debris caused by the explosion. He struggled and fell into a pool of blood. Obviously, those people were here to punish him¡­ Looking at the twitching corpse in front of him, Professor Makadoo, who was lying on the ground, had completely lost his last bit of obsession with this race. He did not understand. He had clearly sacrificed so much. Be it him or the race he had contributed to, everything should not have ended like this. However, just as Professor Makadoo was unwilling and was prepared to face death¡­ Scientific research ship No. 8, who had been observing the situation, understood that now was the best time to attack. A few laser beams easily pierced through the bodies of the attackers. Under Professor Makadoo¡¯s surprised gaze, a skull-like drone that he had never seen before gradually emerged from the night sky. Then, under his gaze, the drone floating in the night sky slowly floated to the dead student¡¯s side. After removing the debris inserted in his trachea, a warm light flashed. Soon, the student, who should have been fatally injured, struggled to get up from the ground. The wound on his neck had already disappeared. What kind of miracle was this¡­ In the next moment, the Skull drone arrived in front of the professor while he was still in shock. At the same time, a sacred and majestic electronic voice came from its communicator. ¡°Our great god has already noticed you. That supreme existence has now decided to give you a chance, a chance to come into contact with the infinite truth and the origin of the universe.¡± ¡°Now answer me if you¡¯re willing to accept this hard-won favor.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡°I¡¯m willing¡­¡±