Chapter Twenty: Wreckage on the Planet

Chapter Twenty: The Remnants on the Planet

“A large-scale wreckage has been discovered during the robot's deployment.” The voice of Thomas roused Shaoyu Liu from his reading.

“Can you transmit image data back?” Shaoyu Liu set aside his book, its cover bearing the title “Theory of Evolution.”

“The base point deployment is incomplete, unable to obtain data from the Federation computer,” Thomas replied.

“Send a reconnaissance drone down to investigate, transmit the image feed back.” No sooner had he spoken than a small drone launched from the bottom of the cargo ship, heading straight for the coordinates showing anomalies.

“Activate drone visuals.” Once the drone was confirmed to be deployed, Shaoyu Liu watched the real-time images it sent back to his screen.

This planet was located in a star system just inside the site where the last stalemate had occurred, near the position of the queen bug. At that time, its proximity to the core region of the Fengta star system meant it was largely ignored, until the Earth Federation claimed this patch of space.

“Hiss...” Shaoyu Liu drew a sharp breath. “What is this?”

The screen revealed an expanse of ruined structures. Judging by the degree of destruction, not much time seemed to have passed; considering the environmental conditions of this star system, it was entirely unsuitable for human habitation, or indeed any life at all. Yet, in such harsh conditions, the ruins remained remarkably intact, suggesting the destruction was recent.

“Send the images to the Bounty Guild command, call all ship members to assemble,” Shaoyu Liu ordered.

Although this operation was under the command of Marshal Gary Barlow, each group maintained its own small command center for coordination. This time, the Bounty Guild had sent a council member from the Cyclops Bounty Guild, also an Earthling. Before departure, Master Wang had specifically instructed Shaoyu Liu to seek his help if needed.

The fleet members soon gathered; most, having just been at rest, assumed an enemy attack had occurred. Rushing over, they found Shaoyu Liu absorbed by the screen, his attention unwavering.

Knowing their captain's usual reticence, no one asked questions. They simply followed his gaze—and understood at once.

“Maintain readiness for combat. Long Ruyuan, Monkey, and I will go down first to take a look.” With everyone assembled, Shaoyu Liu spoke up.

“Yes, sir!”

Military habits meant Shaoyu Liu always carried a mech on missions. While not as advanced as those in the military or the ones Xin Qingyi had used before, its performance was still impressive.

The massive battleship began moving in orbit over the planet. When it reached the target location, three mechs launched from its hull.

“Engines on, check planetary gravity. Thomas, share data and adjust parameters.” As they descended, the mechs entered the planet’s atmosphere.

“Mech surface heating up, adjusting temperature. Oxygen levels in the atmosphere are thin—breathing is not advised. Monitor oxygen consumption,” Thomas quickly relayed.

“Begin secondary buffering, estimated touchdown in one minute and three seconds.”

“Ruyuan, Monkey, let’s split up and search in three directions, keep communications open.” With the order given, the three mechs in midair scattered.

“First Officer, link the reconnaissance drone feed,” Shaoyu Liu instructed Xu Meng, who was managing communications. Soon, a small window appeared on the mech’s combat screen, showing the drone’s visuals.

Descending, Shaoyu Liu landed at the edge of a ruin, deploying a small device from his mech. In moments, a holographic projection of the area within a hundred meters centered on the mech was constructed.

“No signs of life detected,” Thomas’ voice sounded. Shaoyu Liu took a silent breath. He didn’t need Thomas to tell him: in wreckage like this, the chance of finding any life was impossible.

The walls, once solid, were now riddled with cracks and holes. With a bit of clearing, a large opening big enough for the mech to enter appeared.

Shaoyu Liu switched on the mech’s lights and pressed forward into the pitch-black entrance.

He had entered at the edge of a passageway; directly opposite was a huge sealed door. Using the lights, he made out a sign on the wall—marked with unfamiliar characters.

“Thomas, translate.”

After a brief moment, Thomas revealed that the sign used a script belonging to a highly intelligent species within the galaxy. Beneath it, a smaller line in another species’ script conveyed the same meaning.

“Laboratory No. 43.”

Shaoyu Liu was puzzled by this.

“A laboratory? Why would there be a laboratory here?” The question lingered in his mind. Since he couldn’t figure it out, he pressed onward.

“Thomas, analyze the door’s structure, see if the circuits are still functional.” With such a massive door, Shaoyu Liu dared not force entry, lest the ruins collapse.

Thomas soon guided the small device to the backup power source of the ruins. To Shaoyu Liu’s surprise, the power source seemed to still be operational.

Suddenly, flashes of light appeared in the previously dim passageway—the overhead lights had activated. In an instant, the whole interior of the dark structure was illuminated.

“Well done!” Shaoyu Liu couldn’t help but praise Thomas.

“No need for thanks, always happy to serve,” Thomas replied with a hint of humor.

Ignoring him, Shaoyu Liu had already noticed a control panel by the door, displaying the same indecipherable script as the sign.

Using the translation system, Shaoyu Liu learned it was requesting identity verification. It seemed he could not enter normally, he thought.

“I can actually override the main network with a cracking program,” Thomas chimed in, earning a silent scorn from Shaoyu Liu—why hadn’t he said so earlier?

A few minutes later, Shaoyu Liu was finally able to control the mech to enter the so-called laboratory with ease.

Inside, the laboratory was very tidy, filled only with strange instruments; containers lined the walls, some holding biological specimens immersed in liquid.

It seemed to be a biological research lab, Shaoyu Liu thought. But, unfamiliar with the field, he couldn’t make sense of the specimens, so he recorded everything in holographic images for later study.

Continuing his investigation, he found little of use except for several control consoles. Shaoyu Liu focused his attention there.

Approaching the consoles, he found his mech’s height barely adequate for operating them.

“Thomas, can you access these computers?” Shaoyu Liu hesitated to interact with alien technology.

“Each console has an independent secure network. You’ll need to connect me to them first,” Thomas explained.

“Connect?” Shaoyu Liu’s brow arched in confusion.

“There’s a small panel beneath the console. Open it, you’ll find a port—just plug in the data cable,” Thomas clarified, projecting a schematic of the console before Shaoyu Liu.

Following the instructions, Shaoyu Liu easily found the panel, opened it, and connected the cable. He waited quietly for Thomas’ response.

About a minute later, Thomas spoke again.

“It’s done. Thanks to the central computer being damaged, otherwise I wouldn’t have cracked the system.” Hearing Thomas’ report, Shaoyu Liu knew he’d succeeded.

Data was rapidly extracted from the computers, appearing in front of Shaoyu Liu in translation.

However, he could make little sense of the information—mostly experimental records filled with technical terms he didn’t understand.

His own ignorance didn’t mean others would be equally lost. At that moment, Shaoyu Liu remembered his good friend, Wei Wang. The thought made him miss his friend; since reaching the frontlines, they hadn’t spoken.

“Request communication with Wei Wang.”

Perhaps due to the vast distance, the signal was relayed through several layers before finally reaching Earth.

It was now eleven at night on Earth. Wei Wang, home after a busy day, was about to rest when Shaoyu Liu’s call startled him. He wondered why Liu would reach out at this hour—shouldn’t he be on a mission at the front?

Nevertheless, he accepted the communication at once.

“So late—what’s going on?” Wei Wang opened, though his expression was visibly bright.

“I’ve got something to send you for review,” Shaoyu Liu replied, dispensing with formalities between friends.

Seeing Liu inside a mech and hearing the seriousness in his voice, Wei Wang responded just as earnestly. “Alright, send it over.”

As he spoke, Shaoyu Liu’s file transfer request arrived. Wei Wang accepted and began to examine it carefully.

“This... this... this!” Wei Wang’s triple exclamation made Shaoyu Liu realize his find was extraordinary.

“Where did you discover this? Is there more?” Wei Wang’s tone grew excited, confirming Shaoyu Liu’s suspicions.

“It was in a base on a small asteroid in the Fengta star system—just one computer’s data, there should be more. What is it?” Shaoyu Liu replied.

“It’s hard to explain quickly. These are routine experimental records, but... fascinating. Such laboratories usually have a main computer—besides routine logs, it should hold comprehensive reports. Go check. Remember, after transmitting the data, destroy the main computer.” Wei Wang’s tone grew grave.

Sensing the change in his friend’s mood, Shaoyu Liu guessed at the seriousness. Time was tight; he’d already alerted the Bounty Guild to send reinforcements, so he had to act quickly.

Ending the communication, Shaoyu Liu urged Thomas to locate the main computer. But the ruin’s damage had severed many network connections, and with only stand-alone access, the main computer’s location was elusive. Shaoyu Liu frowned, calculating that the bounty team would arrive within an hour at best, two at worst. Was there enough time to search such a vast place?

Just then, Long Ruyuan’s exclamation shattered Shaoyu Liu’s concentration.

“Shaoyu! Come quickly!”