Accompanied by the sense of spatial disorder caused by hyperspace acceleration, the starry sky on the external projection turned into a blurry band of light, and the passage formed by the red shift and blue shift became the only scene outside. The whole world was like a monotonous gradual passage. Then, the light gradually dimmed, and the spaceship had entered hyperspace.
Based on the power of this Proteus warship's hyperdrive engine, this process would probably take several hours before we could reach the station.
Ten light years was really a confusing distance. For the Proteus warship, this distance was a little too short to use a high-dimensional jump, and a little too far to use hyperspace acceleration. But compared to the many days that were delayed by the messy things on Jedas' side, a few hours was nothing.
Finally, I can find that crazy girl Liliana. Although I only know her approximate location, it shouldn't be difficult to find her at that distance with Sakura's power amplifier, right?
"So boring …"
Just as I thought of a certain Crystal Virgin who had transformed into a wireless route, I heard the other party's boring complaints and a sweet sound of crystals rubbing against each other behind me.
The several-meter-tall crystal colossus was connected by more than a dozen light gratings and was half-fixed two meters above a bowl-shaped depression. As the crystal resonated, countless blue and white crystal clusters protruded from the inverted cone base of the colossus' lower body. The dense energy sparks on them hit the surrounding light gratings again and again. Don't get me wrong, it was just communication. On the upper half of the colossus, the sky-blue crystal girl sculpture was lying on her base with a bored look. Occasionally, she would turn her entire upper body 720 degrees to show how good her yoga was. Sakura had maintained this state for many days. After the novelty of forwarding the information passed, she was left with nothing but boredom.
"The Proteus warships are really boring. They don't even have cartoons or the Internet."
"… A normal warship wouldn't have that kind of thing, right? Don't take the Bubble's evil modification of the Empire warships for granted, okay? "
And look at the circle of Einherjar around me. Although most of them are here to join in the fun, and almost 80% of them are now playing Fight the Landlord, at least none of them are complaining about being bored, right? As an employee of the group, I should have a positive work attitude.
However, without Qian Qian by his side, it was indeed a little boring — he lacked the feeling of a happy little animal. Although there was an even happier little one in his pocket, in his daily life, a pet that acted cute and a girlfriend that went off the rails could bring him vastly different joy.
Because we were worried that Jedas would suddenly be attacked by the Empire's rebel army, and we were worried that the Shepherdians would send more troops over, we left the main force of the Federation and several of our strongest combatants there to assist in the defense. Among them were Shallow Shallow, Golden Shimmering, who had just become a high-level Apostle on the power rankings, and the ultimate killing machine Pandora. Now, the only ones by my side were my sister, Visca, a Wireless who was so bored that he was rolling around on his pedestal, and a bunch of Einherjar playing Fight the Landlord. As expected, this arrangement was much more boring.
Oh, I forgot one person, Tawil. As we appeared in this universe in the form of a mass projection, the bespectacled girl had to be by Sakura's side to work. The signal here was better, so Tawil came with us, and he could also study what the Great Nebula was. But even if it was a little rude, I have to say that after this workaholic joined us, the journey became even more boring …
The Void Roamer was a high-speed, long-distance, self-sustaining spaceship created by the Proteus based on the Schilling Expeditionary Battleship. It was the most advanced technological achievement of the Proteus. In this aspect, it was easy to see the gap between the Kepru humans and their Proteus friends. Although they had received more technological guidance from the Empire, the several times difference in technology meant that the former could only passively use the ready-made technology given to them by the Empire. They even had to do their best to understand how to operate them, while the Proteus could already draw inferences from one instance and create their own psionic battleship based on our blueprints.
This was the Void Roamer that we were currently riding in. It was a warship filled with psionic energy, but its appearance and overall structure were very different from the Empire's spaceships.
The Great Nebula Zone was the most famous area in this universe. It was an interstellar dust cloud with a radius of three light years, gradually becoming denser from the outside to the inside. Its composition was amazingly orderly — the uniform combination of heavy metal molecules, the overall thickness of the radioactive gas cloud isolation belt did not deviate by even a millimeter, the material stratification phenomenon that would not have the slightest wrinkle within tens of millions of kilometers, and some strange dense state of matter aggregates that would never form such a shape under natural circumstances. Together, they formed this Great Nebula with a radius of three light years, an absolute spherical surface with a "smoothness" of more than 99.99%.
Obviously, this was not something that nature could produce.
A spaceship traveling faster than light would produce an astonishing mass (you could think of it as infinite, although it was still a calculable number in the eyes of the Schilling people), and the gravitational disturbance would have a destructive tidal effect on nearby matter. Even if the Void Roamer was equipped with the most advanced gravitational counterbalance equipment that the Proteans could develop to counteract the damage to the surrounding environment, the gravitational disturbance effect would still exist. But when we entered the Great Nebula, the observation device discovered a phenomenon that could not be explained by conventional science: the fragile, locally insubstantial clouds seemed to ignore the spaceship that was passing by at a hundred times the speed of light, maintaining a high degree of uniformity even when space itself was slightly warped.
It gave me the feeling that a typhoon could not blow away a puff of smoke, and a flood could not wash away two fallen leaves. We charged into the clouds with the force of a thunderbolt, and the latter, light as a feather, seemed to be watching us coldly from another world.
That's right, I'm doing this to rhyme.
Tawil started her research after the spaceship entered the Great Nebula. She occupied the seat of the intelligence officer and used it as a temporary workstation. "We have just passed through the thin area of the Great Nebula that is 0.1 light-years thick. Along the way, the density of matter in the surroundings did not fluctuate more than one billionth. In front of us is the radiation layer that Queen Gotark mentioned. After the radiation layer, the density of the Great Nebula suddenly increased by three times. Then, there is the next infinitely uniform cloud belt of matter, and then the radiation layer, and then the matter belt … Just like layers of fruit shells, the density of matter in each layer is very uniform, and at the next layer, the density suddenly increases. Your Majesty, the interior of the Great Nebula may be solid. Are we really not going to take a look? There should be no danger, at least in theory. "
Scientists were all dangerous, especially the scientists of the Schilling Race. These shameless lunatics would do anything for the sake of research, such as suggesting that our lone spaceship charge into the core of the Great Nebula, which was suspected to be the Shepherdians' fortress.
That's right, the core of the Great Nebula was one of the few well-known forbidden areas in the universe. Compared to other places that could only be guessed, the center of the Great Nebula was almost a hundred percent certain to be the Shepherdians' base, or at least, a place where they often stayed. This place had already been listed as a key surveillance target by us. The 137 large spaceports in the Red Giant Fortress were working overtime to build a fleet so that when the war broke out, they would be the first to attack the Great Nebula. We only brought these few people with us on this trip, and the purpose was to pick up Liliana. Whoever agreed to Tawil's crazy suggestion was definitely out of their minds.
"Alright, Your Majesty, I understand your concerns. I will do my best to fly the probes around the outer layer of the Great Nebula. However, at superluminal speed, we can't analyze much information. If we can stop for a while …"
"We'll talk about it when we get back."
I rolled my eyes at the sky. There was no need to be courteous with this research maniac. If you were courteous with her, she would take advantage of the situation and consign you to eternal damnation.
"This area must have been created by the rebel army." Visca stood on his chair, trying to establish a sense of superiority. "The natural laws of the universe do not allow for such a place to be created."
His tone was stern, and his expression was in line with the authority of a general. However, if he had to stand on his tiptoes just to be on par with Tawil … he should just leave.
"It is said that this is the most tragic battlefield since the start of the chaotic war cycle in the universe." The big sister looked at the holographic projection before her. Although there was only a blurry band of light on the exterior, after compensation calculations, the simulation of the Great Nebula was still clearly displayed in front of everyone. "The races that lost their territories in the war or had just arrived here and didn't have the time to establish their territories would be driven to the outer layer of the Great Nebula. There, a chaotic war would break out, and only the races that survived would be able to leave. Otherwise, they would be annihilated by the Shepherdians."
"Hmph, that bunch of lunatics also made the rules." Visca's tone was sarcastic. He jumped down from the chair agilely, his face flushed. Usually, if she did something stupid like that just now, Pandora would be responsible for knocking her down with a karate chop or one-inch punch. But now that the "stupid sister" wasn't around, she could only feel embarrassed and jump down herself. Besides, speaking of lunatics, it seems that you're almost the same, Your Excellency General who is 1.2 meters tall.
"It's so unfair." The big sister sighed. "Many races that have just arrived in this universe were thrown into the battlefield and turned into ashes. But it's strange. After so many years of war, even if the Great Nebula has a radius of three light years, there should be some battleship wreckage left here, right?"
"They should have become the matter of the Great Nebula or the energy of the radiation belt." Tawil turned his head and pushed his glasses. "The rebel army definitely didn't build this area just to be a battlefield. There are obvious traces of planning in this huge cloud zone. Its operating mechanism is still unclear, but it definitely has some kind of function. If …"
"We'll talk about it when we get back."
"… Alright, Your Majesty."
Now was not the time to launch a direct attack on the Great Nebula. Our spaceship took a huge arc inside the Great Nebula, bypassing the first radiation layer of the Great Nebula. It was said that this was the boundary set by the Shepherdians in the equilibrium cycle. Once a spaceship of a normal race crossed the radiation belt, they would be attacked by the Shepherdians. This made our journey twice as long. However, after six hours, the spaceship still passed through the huge 'interstellar dust'. When the spaceship gradually slowed down to a speed that could be captured by light, the first ray of starlight from the eastern part of the Great Nebula shone on the smooth body of the Void Roamer. It looked like a silver barracuda. The spaceship of the Federation Army entered the silent space.
"It looks peaceful. The introduction also said that this is the most chaotic pirate ruled area in the entire universe. There are wars every day." Cuchulin carried his magic spear and looked regretful. "It's so dark that I can't see anything."
"Do you think the population density of the universe is the same as a food market?" I glanced sideways at this guy who had no idea what a space civilization was. "Adjutant, connect the teleportation controller."
After a slight energy noise, the crystal panel in front of the commander's seat disappeared like a phantom. A strange-looking controller that looked like a handle rose up. This was a gadget that we had gifted to the New Eden Federation. It was a teleportation device that could gather the scattered armies within the galaxy into a base in a very short amount of time and with minimal energy consumption. It could be said that they had the preliminary army teleportation ability of the Schilling Federation's regular army. The Proteus advance team that we had sent here should have built a base nearby. If we had used a regular space jump to get there, we would have had to wait for the spaceship's hyperspace engine to cool down. However, as long as this thing had coordinates, it wouldn't cool down no matter how many times it was teleported.
Let me think, what was the activation code for the targeted teleportation …
Yup, down, front, down, front, and back.
Laugh if you want. This thing was designed by the Bubble. The return code of the Empire Admiral was still up, down, down, left, right, left, right, A + B.
There was a flash of white light. Although it was a crude way to use it, the ultra-advanced Empire teleportation device was much faster than the Proteus warp engine that took a few minutes to activate. With a flash of white light, we had entered an asteroid belt.
In front of us was a semi-fixed base that had just taken shape. It was a typical asteroid belt fortification template. More than ten larger asteroids were connected together by high-strength interstellar alloy skeletons, forming a three-dimensional defense line based on their original relative positions. The interior of each asteroid had traces of being hollowed out, and the metallic luster had covered almost eighty percent of their surface. Various golden buildings with Proteus characteristics were fixed on the surface of these asteroids, and the interior should be places like warehouses. The alloy skeletons that fixed the asteroids had extended outwards, connecting several spaceports and landing platforms. It seemed that they were ready for use.
However, the entire base was silent.
After the communication call, we received a noisy background noise. The interstellar alloy skeleton of the base was glowing with a cold metallic luster, but it lacked the flowing light of energy. There were only a few buildings in the entire asteroid system that still had their lights on. The other places were pitch black as though they had lost their energy. There were messy supply containers stacked on the landing platforms, and half of them were damaged. The contents were scattered everywhere — the artificial gravity of the base had been turned off.
This was the entire scene that we saw after we completed the teleportation.
"Stop the spaceship. Let the probes go over and send the images back," Big Sister immediately said cautiously.
Big Sister immediately said cautiously. Now, she had the demeanor of a regular army commander.
"They are under attack." When the images were sent back and all the details were zoomed in, I immediately came to the obvious conclusion. "There is not a single person."
The base that had just been built seemed to have been abandoned during an emergency operation. When the images were zoomed in, we found that one-third of the interstellar alloy skeletons that made up the structure of the entire base had been broken. Two metal asteroids with psionic reactors had been thrown out of the building cluster due to the broken skeletons and some kind of shock wave. They floated alone behind the base, spinning rapidly. The entire base had lost its energy supply. Two of the three landing platforms had obvious traces of melting, and their surfaces were full of potholes and metal bubbles, probably the result of continuous bombardment by high-intensity energy weapons. The asteroid in the center of the base, which was probably used to install the psionic shield generator, was now in pieces. It seemed to have been destroyed by a serious overload. Around the base, we only found the remains of some sentry cannons and photon cannons.
In a more distant space, there were some inconspicuous metal fragments floating around. They seemed to be fragments of battleships, but the main parts of those fragments had obviously been salvaged by someone, and the remaining fragments were abandoned here.
"Full frequency silence, and the mothership channel of the exploration force is not in the broadcast domain." A Proteus officer shook his head and said, "Great teacher, there is no sign of life in the base. Should we approach it?"
"Yes, stay alert."
The spaceship that reflected the silver light slowly approached the deserted base and landed on the only intact landing platform. Most of the Heroic Spirits and Proteus warriors were ordered to stay on the spaceship to protect the Void Rogues and the more important Crystal Virgin. Big Sister, Visca, and I led a few high-powered Heroic Spirits to board the silent outpost.
"The artificial gravity has all failed."
I wandered lightly on the landing platform, looking at the mechanical devices and broken stones floating in the air around me. I said through the spiritual connection.
"This … this is a very difficult combat environment …"
A very troubling voice sounded in my mind. When I turned my head, Saber was floating toward me with her head tilted thirty-five degrees downward.
"Saber, just use the magic jet. No matter how fast Ahoge spins, it can't be used like a propeller."
"… That's too rude! With your identity, please don't say such rude words!! "
Come and bite me if you dare!
"Okay, okay, we still have business to attend to," Big Sister was still the eternal peacemaker. With one sentence, she calmed down the indignant Lion King and the Head of the Empire. "Now, it's best to see if there are any corpses here …"
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