CH 227

"Slow down the fleet immediately. Assemble 3 billion kilometers away from the three-star system. We will convene a combat meeting," Zhang Xingxing gave her latest order.

"Reporting to the commander, all battleships and land combat units have entered a combat-ready state. They are all on standby for combat," reported Lin Feixue.

Zhang Xingxing started giving a speech to the fleet, "Warriors, I am grateful to every single one of you for being able to persist in defending justice even in such hard times and fight for the universe and peace. Waiting ahead of you could very well be a terrifying monster that you have never dreamed of existing. As mere ordinary mortals fearing no evil, we only pursue a clear conscience, leaving our footprints in the fight for the universe and peace."

Her words ignited the spirits of all the soldiers, to the point where they felt like no monster could defeat them. The fleet continued advancing at a moderate speed. Soon, we were 3 billion kilometers from the three-star system. There, we were once again presented with the magnificence of creation.

The red, yellow, and blue stars formed a perfect triangle before us. The blue giant star should have been much larger than the yellow star, but the three stars before us were exactly the same in size. Once again, our downloaded astronomy knowledge was toppled.

The three stars formed a cycle of mutual absorption. It was as though each star was devouring the required energy to survive from its own target. Together, they restricted and supported each other, forming a balanced ecosystem.

After scanning with our laser probes, Dodo was able to quickly confirm the exact positions of the 27 planets in this system. They were mostly concentrated 600 million kilometers from the 3 stars.

"Commander, the beast bases have been found. From the data we have, no signs of life can be seen on these planets yet," reported Dodo.

"I intend to split the fleet into three. Commander Herbert and Commander Xidor will lead 10 ships and head toward 9 planets. Commander Kelly will lead 10 ships and head toward 9 other planets. The remaining ships will remain under my command and head toward the remaining 9 planets," said Zhang Xingxing.

"Commander, the giant claw worms are extremely powerful. There are also the lion-faced beasts we encountered before. Would we be too weak to deal with them after splitting up?" asked Old Du worriedly.

"After Commander Herbert and Commander Xidor joined us, our 7th Armored Division swelled to 30,000 soldiers. We have tripled our numbers. The number of planets here has also tripled. Therefore, it won't change much to split our fleet. In fact, our fleet is much better equipped now compared to before," said Zhang Xingxing.

Lin Feixue started making his arrangements, "Commanders, be sure to avoid artillery attacks during landing. The destruction of ships will result in the greatest number of casualties. Whatever the cost, ensure to deliver these brave warriors safely to the planets. That is a mission you must complete." 

"The surfaces of these beast planets are very sleek. When landing, try to find a way into the internal parts of the planets. Even if you have to blast your way through, do it. Kill any beast you encounter. I don't want to see any surviving worms or other beasts," added Baron Sisse.

The various ships started moving to their respective targets in accordance with the order given. This time, Old Du did not return to Spacetime. Rather, he stayed with me and Zhang Bao'er. From our initial landing at Jupiter II, the three of us had braved numerous hardships to reach this point. 

Most of what we had experienced were localized battles and conflicts. Today, we were finally going to face a true large-scale battle. At that thought, the three of us couldn't help but grow excited.

"Canyue, Bao'er, Old Du, return to your combat posts," Zhang Xingxing ordered.

Hearing her command, Old Du and I returned to the two copilot seats. Baron Sisse, who was previously in charge of assisting me, had left for Spacetime with Kelly. After so long, we were finally able to once again pilot a ship together. As for Zhang Bao'er, he was assigned to the weapons room as usual. With familiar and old comrades by her side, Zhang Xingxing appeared even more confident than usual.

"Commander, Skyhawk is slowly entering the upper atmosphere of a beast planet. All the ships are invisible, awaiting the order to land," reported the diligent Lin Feixue.

At that moment, an imposing group of planets arranged like a string of pearls appeared before my eyes. The sight before me was exactly the same as what I saw in Nommo's recordings. The nearer a planet was to a star, the larger the planet would be. Looking at the sight before us, we felt like we had traveled back in time to over 100,000 years ago.

"Commander, I remember that Nommo had landed on the small planet occupying the outermost position among the string of planets. But I don't know if this is the same string of planets," I said to Zhang Xingxing.

"If this is the same string of planets, the man in black would have definitely left some traces of his presence behind," said Old Du.

Zhang Xingxing's body trembled slightly when the man in black was mentioned. The mystery of the man in black had troubled us for a very long time. Who was that Blueling? Why had he left traces of his presence behind multiple scenarios? Was that one person, or was it actually an organization? It was very likely that Zhang Xingxing would try her best to get to the bottom of this matter.

"Lin Feixue, scan the first planet for the situation on its surface. Domo, keep us updated about the results," ordered Zhang Xingxing.

Everyone started working. In less than five minutes, the result of the scan was out. The artificial planet had a sleek surface, and there seemed to be a large empty space beneath its surface. However, no entrance could be seen. Not even a crack was present. It was as though the entire planet was wrapped in a layer of seamless steel as thick as 100 kilometers.

"A thickness of 100 kilometers. The shell of this planet is way too thick. How are we supposed to blast out an opening? We can only drill our way in," said Zhang Bao'er, who was visibly shocked by the thickness of the shell.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Lin Feixue said, "Commander, our scans have not detected any beasts so far. Two other units that are going to land at the same time as us also found nothing. Permission to continue with the landing operation?" 

"Should we have one ship land first and scout around in case there is an ambush?" asked Old Du.

"I disagree. I remember that in Nommo's recordings, the landing team was suddenly attacked by all the beasts on the planet. If our advancing party is too weak, the entire team might get destroyed," I said.

Zhang Xingxing lowered her head in contemplation. After making a decision, she raised her head.

"Notify Kelly's team to land together. Notify Commander Herbert's team to remain on standby for now," ordered Zhang Xingxing.

"How about Skyhawk's team?" asked Lin Feixue.

"Dodo will work with Jack to arrange for Skyhawk's team and Kelly's team to land at the same time," said Zhang Xingxing, giving an order that caused all of us to grow excited.

"Roger!" replied Lin Feixue.

Dodo started coordinating our invisible fleet to move toward the beast planet. The landing operation was about to begin. The mood in the ship was tense. Both our scanners and our manual sentries were working overtime to discover anything on the planet that might pose a threat to us, ensuring that the worst would not happen.

The invisible fleet slowly approached the beast planet's surface. Before me, a white steel planet could be seen. The planet was akin to a round ball of steel. It was sleek and glossy, and although the three stars were far away, their reflections could still be seen on this glossy planet.

"This planet's surface is too sleek. Will we even be able to stand properly on it after landing?" asked Zhang Bao'er from his weapons room.

"Don't worry. This is merely its appearance from far away. When we're close enough to the surface, all you will see is flat land. That's knowledge at the primary school level on Blue. Zhang Bao'er, your knowledge base is deteriorating at a surprising rate," said Old Du.

"Old Du, you're really too polite and like to beat around the bush. He hasn't degenerated. He has never known it in the first place. He had gotten the last place during his time in school. One time, the student in second-to-last place suddenly found himself becoming the last-place student. The headmaster had thought that the fatty had improved in his studies, but it turned out that the fatty had taken sick leave during the exam," said Domo.

"What story are you making up here? Be careful lest I feed you to the lion beasts for lunch later," said Zhang Bao'er furiously.

"I don't taste good. You, on the other hand, will be the lion beast's favorite with all your fat," said Domo.

"Shut up. We're in the middle of a combat mission. If I hear another word about something unrelated to combat, you will be pulled out of the mission, and you can stay in Nyx's room instead," said Zhang Xingxing.

The two were instantly fearful when they saw that Zhang Xingxing was really furious. They shut their mouths and stopped talking.

"Warriors, please be seated. The ship is going to start landing soon," announced Dodo.

Kelly's unit was also landing at the same time. As of now, we had yet to detect any air-defense weapons. The entire landing operation was progressing smoothly.

"This is way too peaceful. The beasts can't be all dead, right?" I muttered as I looked at the deserted planet.

"Don't be careless. The more peaceful this place seems, the more restless I feel. This is not normal. If there are no beast bases here, why did the emperor bother hiding this region with such a massive wall of light?" said Zhang Xingxing. She was truly worthy of being the commander; she could see things from a larger perspective.

"Something must be wrong here. It is too peaceful. We need to stay on alert," said Old Du.

"Landing in one minute," Dodo's announcement rang out in the ship.