Chapter 352: What Are They After?
There were so many Light Computers, and some were still playing sounds. It was obvious they had been dropped recently.
If they had been lying here for a long time, their batteries would have died long ago.
But they were all still functional.
And the only people who could have recently lost this many Light Computers in space were from the missing spaceship.
Long Hao immediately said, "I’ll go retrieve them."
Yuan Ling had no objection, of course, but he still added a word of caution. "Be careful. No one knows what’s really out here."
Unless something extraordinary had happened, he believed no one would be foolish enough to simply throw away their Light Computer.
"Mm."
There were far too many Light Computers, and they were widely scattered. Long Hao didn’t collect them all. He just packed the dozens that were closest into his Space Button before quickly returning to the ship.
After taking off his flight suit, he said with a grim expression, "That cluster of roots has the aura of a Cosmic Beast."
A powerful one, at that. He felt a sense of grave danger before he even got close.
This was obviously not good news.
If these Light Computers were indeed from the people on that ship, it meant they had encountered the powerful Cosmic Beast.
"Let’s check these Light Computers first."
As for the security verification on the Light Computers, Yuan Ling managed to bypass it after a few moments of work.
They didn’t pry into anyone’s private data, nor did they have any intention of stealing money. They only checked the names of the Light Computer owners.
Then they compared the names to the list of the missing.
After finding several matching names, they finally confirmed it: these were the Light Computers belonging to the missing warriors from that ship.
Yuan Ling then went through them one by one, looking to see if anyone had left any useful information.
After all, some people have a habit of making logs when they face danger.
Sure enough, he soon found a farewell letter on one of the Light Computers.
The Light Computer’s owner had recorded everything that happened after the Alien Beasts broke through their defenses during the flight.
It also read:
We were unfortunate enough to encounter a Cosmic Beast. Just when we thought we were going to die, Miss Jiang discovered that it likes music.
But it doesn’t like music played from a Light Computer. It prefers hearing Miss Jiang sing live.
I have to say, that Cosmic Beast has pretty good taste, because I like her singing, too.
He went on to write that they were preparing to flee in escape pods. He ended with his last words, expressing his regret that this letter would probably never reach his family.
Yuan Ling immediately began using the ship’s systems to scan a wider range of nearby planets, marking any planet from which they couldn’t get a return signal in red.
Long Hao’s mood lifted slightly upon learning that they had escaped in the pods.
In his view, as long as they weren’t dead, there was still hope.
***
「At the temporary settlement.」
Although the spot they’d found was just a clearing backed by a large boulder, the living conditions weren’t bad.
Almost every warrior’s Space Button contained a portable tent and a portable lavatory.
Lan Yuyan had even brought a small, portable house.
It was a square unit, not particularly spacious, but it had all the necessities—even a generator.
As a result, Jiang Qin didn’t have to rough it in the slightest.
The squad leader had originally thought they could wait there safely for two or three days, but on the very first day, he discovered signs of an Alien Beast nearby.
For the safety of the team, he took four others with him to track it.
Counting the warriors patrolling the perimeter, that left only Jiang Qin’s group of three and 29 other warriors at the temporary settlement.
Dr. A felt this still wasn’t enough.
So he opened the laboratory on the third floor and sent out ten test subjects.
"Go lure them away."
The ten people standing before him nodded, their faces expressionless.
....
These people were incredibly fast and skilled at stealth.
But their mission wasn’t to stay hidden; it was to be seen.
Soon, they had lured the ten patrolling warriors far into the distance.
One of the warriors, worried that no one would be left to patrol the settlement, quickly spoke to the others before heading back alone.
The others, of course, chose to continue the pursuit.
Someone was ambushing them from the shadows. They had to catch and interrogate this person to prevent them from hiding and becoming a security risk.
....
The warrior who returned to camp first woke his resting comrades to take over the patrol, then went to find Jiang Qin to report.
"Miss Jiang, a moment ago, it looked like two suspicious individuals were trying to sneak into our camp.
So the warriors on patrol duty have gone out in pursuit.
You must be careful for the next couple of days. No matter where you go, it’s best to take a few people with you."
Jiang Qin nodded. "Okay, I won’t wander off."
The young warrior breathed a sigh of relief. He had been genuinely afraid that Jiang Qin would get angry and feel like they were restricting her freedom.
Thankfully, Miss Jiang was an understanding female.
"Then I won’t disturb you any further."
.....
Only after the young warrior had left did Lan Yuyan say with a frown, "First, we find traces of a suspected Alien Beast, and now someone is trying to infiltrate our camp. I’m guessing we’ve been targeted."
Most illegal research institutes wouldn’t take the initiative to bother people who accidentally ended up on their planet.
After all, the institutes are more afraid of being discovered by the outside world than anything else.
So they typically choose to mind their own business, operating on the principle of "the less trouble, the better."
But the institute on this planet has chosen to go on the offensive.
’It seems they’ve taken a liking to something we have.’
’The question is whether they’re after our supplies... or our people.’
"Lan Yan, for the next two days, you are not to leave Qinqin’s side."
Lan Yan glanced at Lan Yuyan. After confirming he wasn’t joking, he pressed his lips together to suppress a small smile.
’I already follow Jiang Qin everywhere as it is,’ he thought. ’The only thing I don’t do is stay in the same room with her.’
’And what Yuyan just said was obviously permission for me to enter the room he shares with Jiang Qin.’
’Does this mean he finally acknowledges my place by Jiang Qin’s side?’
Because of this, Lan Yan couldn’t suppress a small thrill of joy.
’Is this what they call a blessing in disguise?’ he mused.
***
"The wind seems to be picking up. Everyone, put on your goggles."
The ten warriors on patrol quickly adjusted their gear and put on their goggles.
Soon, a sandstorm began to whip up around them.
With each gust of wind, a layer of yellow sand would cover the tops of their boots.
"The environment on this planet is so harsh. Can Alien Beasts really survive here?"
"What’s so strange about that? Some Alien Beasts actually prefer this kind of environment. They can survive just by eating minerals."
"Watch the sand. This environment is perfect for small, venomous, insect-like Alien Beasts."
No sooner had he finished speaking than one of the warriors spotted a black, mouse-sized scorpion at his feet.
The scorpion’s tail shot up, its stinger instantly striking toward the top of his boot.
Fortunately, he spotted it in time and dodged away.
The person next to him reacted just as fast, immediately plunging a dagger into the scorpion’s back.
The dagger pierced straight through the scorpion, which bled green blood.