Chapter Fifty-Seven: Shen Qingyi in Peril

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Xin Qingyi in Danger

A set of mech wreckage lay scattered across this cold, barren land. There was no wind; everything remained as it was at the moment it shattered. Fragments... fragments everywhere...

"Judging by the marks on the edges of the mech debris... it was torn apart," Monkey said, picking up a piece and analyzing it.

"Desolate creatures," Liu Shaoyu concluded.

But it was too brutal. Apart from the blood, darkening on the ground, there was no trace of bodies. The scene before them made Liu Shaoyu and Monkey highly tense. The largest fragment was only palm-sized. The hard mech metal seemed to have been shredded like paper—scattered everywhere!

"Can you determine which kind of desolate creature it was?" Liu Shaoyu asked not only Thomas, but also Monkey and Long Ruyuan.

"Based on the marks on the debris... it should be a small creature. There are twelve known types of small desolate creatures in the Desolate Starfield. Eight are found only in the peripheral systems. This must be one of the remaining four," Long Ruyuan was the first to speak.

"Thomas, analyze it," Liu Shaoyu handed over the task for a more precise assessment.

Liu Shaoyu rose and gazed around, hoping to glean some information from the nearby terrain.

The land, previously flat, began to undulate here, with hills rising from this point onward. The composition of the ice minerals required unique geological conditions. The minerals responsible for triggering doomsday weapons were even more special, and Earth's mineral structures had no effect on these deposits.

One thing was clear: wherever desolate creatures gathered, ice minerals would be nearby!

This explained why desolate creatures were so hostile to those who came seeking the minerals—perhaps acting as their guardians. Ice minerals must hold special meaning for the desolate creatures, though that meaning... might be beyond human understanding.

Liu Shaoyu analyzed the situation. In truth, his reasoning was entirely correct, except for one thing: humans could fully grasp the significance of ice minerals to desolate creatures.

Continuing his search, Liu Shaoyu finally found a signal transmitter among the debris—a device akin to a black box. When the mech confirmed a catastrophic blow, it would automatically send an alert. Made from ultra-hard metal, it was built to survive even the harshest environments.

Perhaps its chip, only half-palm-sized, survived for this reason.

Too many questions lingered.

Why was there only one mech wreckage? What had happened? Liu Shaoyu was at a loss. Yet this chip might provide some clues.

"The device has reached its scanning limit. No anomalies except at your current position," Long Ruyuan’s voice came through. The equipment constructing the holographic command system was limited, so they could only maintain a certain distance.

"Move the center point to our coordinates. Search ahead in an arc. Bring the ship over," Liu Shaoyu said, gazing at the undulating hills before him.

Would it be there? He wondered. But decoding the chip was the immediate priority.

The ship’s silhouette gradually concealed the two from view.

Back on the ship, Liu Shaoyu hurried to the command room and inserted the chip into the console.

The screen showed a squad of mechs, seemingly some distance from where Liu Shaoyu had found the chip. The timestamp indicated it was twenty hours earlier.

"Maintain formation," someone said. The mech was at the rear of the group. Liu Shaoyu counted—seven mechs. What about the remaining six?

"We need to wipe out those bastards today," a voice suddenly came through the radio...

"Shh... Officer, keep an eye on the radar. We're almost at their territory," the same voice, belonging to the person who had ordered them to maintain formation, likely the team captain.

"Yes," came a clear response. That was the officer.

Liu Shaoyu was sure of it. But why had the officer at the rear become the wreckage they found, with no trace of a body?

The playback was approaching the spot where the chip was discovered. Liu Shaoyu felt a mounting tension.

"What's this?... Attack! Watch your feet!" Suddenly, the officer’s voice grew sharp. The visuals became shaky as the officer moved.

"Below! Below! Damn!"

"Scatter! They're under us!" The captain’s command steadied the panicked team.

Dense black shadows darted beneath their feet. Liu Shaoyu and his companions broke into cold sweat as they watched.

They moved too fast to see what they were.

"Careful! They can bite through mechs!" the officer cried again.

Yes, they could do more than just bite through. Liu Shaoyu already knew that.

"No!" A desperate scream rang out. The screen toppled with a shriek, and then a black tide surged up.

It all happened in an instant—no time to react.

"Incendiary grenades!" The captain’s voice came, but it was too late. The shield status indicator on the screen showed it was depleted almost instantly, followed by the armor being breached.

"Miss, get out! Quickly... retreat..." These were the officer’s final words. The screen went black. Recording ended.

The three were silent.

"Any thoughts?" Liu Shaoyu finally broke the quiet.

"Small, powerful, fast," Monkey summarized. No such desolate creature had been documented before.

The unknown is always the most terrifying.

"Thomas, analyze the footage. Capture a frame."

Ten seconds later, a frozen image appeared before them.

"A rat?" Monkey exclaimed.

It was close, visually resembling some sort of rat, but two or three times larger than a normal one. Its limbs were strong, and its body was covered in a matte, smooth shell—deep gray, with a sharp, metallic sheen around its mouth.

"Anything else?" Liu Shaoyu pressed. This was the value of collective thought.

"Xin Qingyi isn’t with them," Long Ruyuan spoke up.

"Indeed, judging by the situation, this squad was either backup or a rescue team—not the main force," Monkey added.

Liu Shaoyu had already noticed this. The team’s reaction to the sudden crisis was not calm enough; they failed to organize an effective response, putting their teammates in danger. Clearly, they were not a well-trained unit—of course, compared to his own standards.

Probably backup or logistics, Liu Shaoyu guessed.

Which meant... Xin Qingyi was already in danger, or something had happened requiring more manpower.

Either way, it wasn’t a good sign. Liu Shaoyu grew anxious, a sense of unease rising within him. His mood grew restless.

Calm, calm. He warned himself. Now was the time to face everything with a clear mind.

"Fly the ship at altitude. Don’t retract the equipment. Move in sync," Liu Shaoyu decided to follow this lead. But these ground creatures were too dangerous—it was safer to search from the air.

Finally...

"Base signal device damaged," Thomas’s voice broke the silence.

To the readers:

This is the first update today—please recommend and bookmark!