CH 295

"What bad idea do you have this time, little fellow?" said Domo, walking over to bully Dondon, who was even smaller than him.

"I calculated. We have 10 red biscuits, just enough for all of us. Carter is not here, and Canyue, Temo, and Domo have already taken their red biscuits. With Canyue having taken his red biscuit long ago minus the two taken by Temo and Domo, we have 8 remaining biscuits and 8 of us here. All of us can land together," said Dondon proudly.

We were all touched to hear his offer to join us. He was right, and he had to have noticed this a long time ago. If everyone landed together, that solved the issue of us having nowhere to settle the two of them while we went on the mission. With a decision made, Zhang Xingxing gave everyone permission to take a red biscuit each.

"Where are we landing?" asked Temo.

"From what we saw above the planet, I suggest we land at the edge of the Cthulhu Macula. We should also try sending out scouting drones," said Zhang Xingxing.

"Why the Cthulhu Macula and not the heart of Pluto?" asked Dodo.

"I believe the super virus has a greater probability of appearing at the Cthulhu Macula. After all, that was where the first group of explorers had lost their lives. It could also be the place where the great sovereign was kept previously," said Zhang Xingxing.

"I can't find any information on the great sovereign's position. Since we don't have the relevant information, I agree that we should go to the Cthulhu Macula. At the very least, we will be able to gather more information there," said Baron Sisse.

"Dodo, open the Cthulhu Macula's map. Let everyone get a closer look at the place," I said.

Dodo projected a hologram of the map of the Cthulhu Macula. The Cthulhu Macula consisted of a series of plains, slopes, mountain ranges, and craters that created a complicated terrain. It was roughly 2,990 kilometers across, and it was the largest special geographic feature on Pluto.

"It is said that this place is filled with numerous terrifying viruses. The Interstellar League's base was built there, but I'm not sure if it still stands," said Dodo while pointing at a flat area on the map.

"Apart from the base, are there other places where we can hide?" I asked.

"There used to be two outposts in the deep crater outside the base. However, that place is filled with viruses. In the past, only robots were stationed there," said Dodo.

"Outposts? How big are they? Are they big enough to hide all of us?" asked Old Du prudently.

"I believe they have enough space to hide us," replied Dodo.

After referring to the relevant information, we unanimously decided to land Markus in the crater. We would head to an outpost first and use that as our main base of operations before setting out on foot to gather more information from the Interstellar League's base.

"Temo, set the coordinates. Let's set off," Zhang Xingxing ordered. Finally, the long-awaited mission was starting. Everyone looked eager to get started.

When we set off, the Cthulhu Macula was on the side of the planet facing the sun. After a journey of five and a half hours from 5.9 billion kilometers away, the feeble sunlight illuminated the front side of the planet. The daytime on Pluto was as dark as a dusky day on Blue. 

However, we were able to see the numerous dots of light emitted by the imperial robots stationed on the planet's surface. As Markus approached the planet, friction appeared between our ship and the planet's thin atmosphere. At that moment, Temo had Markus enter invisible mode.

"A day here is equivalent to six days on Blue. We need to complete our mission within three days before the Cthulhu Macula sinks into deep darkness," reminded Dodo.

Soon, our ship passed through the thin atmosphere. The ship lowered its speed as it descended to the ground. From the ship's window, we could see that the air was filled with some white objects. They were probably the objects formed after nitrogen cooled off at high altitudes and turned solid. 

From the movement of the solidified nitrogen, we could see that there was a chilly storm outside. The ship indicated that the temperature outside was as low as negative 231 degrees Celsius.

Under the protection of technology, we braced the coldest wind in the Solar System and slowly headed toward our destination. After a short while, we went out of the solid nitrogen zone in the sky. A terrifying world appeared before our eyes.

Under the dusky sunlight, a majority of what we saw was enveloped in darkness. Far away, the Cthulhu Macula looked like a black zone filled with craters and over a hundred small ice volcanoes spraying nitrogen ice chunks into the air.

Tall, precipitous mountains stood on the landscape, sculpted over a long period of time by the frosty wind of the planet. At that point, the temperature outside the ship had reached a terrifying negative 235 degrees.

"What terrible place is this? I can't even see a proper landing spot," complained Zhang Bao'er at the sight of the terrain.

"Make a final inspection of your gear. Make sure there won't be any malfunctions after we land. At such temperatures, any malfunction will result in instant death," reminded Zhang Xingxing.

"Don't worry. We have survived even the lowest possible temperature. This temperature is quite warm, I think," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yes, yes, sure. You're still the same even though two years have passed," said Zhang Xingxing.

I felt somewhat awkward hearing those words, since for me, only a little over a month had passed.

"I checked. The robotic army is not stationed at the league's base. No traces of activity can be found there. All clear traces of activity were found on a relatively flat field of ice about 50 kilometers to the east. That's good news for us because it will be much easier for us to enter the league's base," said Temo.

Markus was still slowly moving toward one of the craters. Our destination was a crater the size of a football field. At the center of the crater, the league's outpost stood tall atop a strip of flat land. To the side of the strip of land was a small ice volcano that was constantly spraying a small amount of nitrogen ice into the air.

"That must be the outpost. It looks abandoned. Can your ship establish a direct connection with the outpost?" asked Zhang Xingxing.

"I doubt so. We have to land beside the outpost and enter on foot," said Temo, explaining that the designs of the two civilizations were different, resulting in incompatible docking bridges.

"Walking on foot in such an environment will probably feel terrible," said Zhang Bao'er and Domo at the same time.

"If you're scared, feel free to stay on the ship. It's warm and safe here. But if you're not scared, then you'll have to go," said Temo with a sneer.

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"Who are you talking to, you scum?" Domo was infuriated.

"Stop. I think Zhang Bao'er's worry is reasonable. We can send the android over to perform some scouting. We can move after ensuring that it's safe to go," said Baron Sisse.

"I'm a robotic advisor. This environment is too extreme for me. Why don't you send a proper scouting drone over?" objected Dodo.

"We're only 10 meters away from the outpost. We can see the surroundings clearly. There is no need to send out any scouting drones. We only need a robot to check if the door of the outpost can be opened," explained Baron Sisse.

"I had upgraded your skin with a high-density alloy that can ensure your inner circuits keep running at a constant temperature. The low temperature won't affect you. We're only 10 meters away. Go and open the door. We'll be right behind you," said Temo with a big smile on his face.

"What? You had upgraded me with star-level tech?" said Dodo in excitement.

"Of course. Therefore, don't fear the cold. Go, just go," said Temo.

With Temo's assurance, Dodo stood up and prepared to scout the outpost alone.

"Dodo, pull back at the sight of trouble," said Dondon, Dodo's best friend.

Dodo nodded at everyone and turned on their headlight before stepping into the airlock. A bodycam on their body faithfully recorded everything they faced.

The door opened, and Dodo stepped into the darkness. As we watched the recording, the loud hiss of wind instantly sounded in the ship, accompanied by loud thuds that sounded like fireworks. The thuds were from the numerous small pieces of debris in the air knocking against Dodo's body. Fortunately, Dodo's skin had been reinforced by high-density alloy or they wouldn't have been able to withstand the storm.

"It's too dark outside. Visibility is still low even with the headlight. The temperature is also extremely low. I can only see an endless white. I feel like the machine oil in my legs is going to freeze soon," said Dodo.

"Don't worry, Dodo. The storm might be rather small in scope. Just walk out bravely. The ship's spotlight is constantly aimed at the outpost. The storm is probably a small storm localized around you. Your machine oil won't freeze either. The high-density alloy will protect you," encouraged Temo.

Hearing those words, Dodo continued forward. Braving the extreme environment, they took several steps forward. However, the only thing we could see on our screen was still the same boundless white.

"Odd. Why can't I see Dodo's silhouette through the window?" Dondon suddenly said.

I rushed toward the window and looked out as well. Looking outside from the window, our surroundings looked much calmer than what we saw in the recording. And it was true that Dodo was nowhere to be seen.

"This isn't right. We're only 10 meters away from the outpost. Dodo has taken quite a lot of steps. They should have reached the outpost already. Why are they still not visible? Even if they had walked in the wrong direction, we should still be able to see them," said Old Du.

To be sure, we tried checking our surroundings from several different angles. Neither Dodo nor the violent storm could be seen.

"What is this? Dodo, pull back first," said Zhang Xingxing.

"Shit! I can't see the ship anymore! My self-navigation function has also failed! I can't pinpoint the ship's direction," replied Dodo helplessly.

At that point, everyone started panicking. The terrifying part was that Dodo had only taken a few steps away from the ship yet something so eerie had happened. It would seem like Pluto had taught us a lesson at our very first encounter.