Chapter 345: Station Master
"Let’s go."
Since time was short, Long Ming didn’t bother with pleasantries. With a wave of his hand, he led Xiaoqi and the others toward the spaceport terminal.
The main terminal building had two floors, with a third in the section shaped like a bird’s head.
Long Ming’s group entered an internal passageway from the rear of the terminal.
FIZZ~
The overhead lights in the passageway flickered, and some of the damaged fixtures flashed with electrical sparks.
Xiaoqi and the others immediately grew tense, silently following behind Long Ming.
Just then, a humanoid guardian suddenly appeared from around the corner ahead.
Long Ming instantly scanned the target and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
PEW~
The guardian took a headshot and collapsed to the ground.
Xiaoqi and the others were all startled.
"There are robots in here."
"Be careful!"
Long Ming cautiously led Xiaoqi and the others forward.
Soon, they arrived in a spacious hall.
The entire first-floor hall was mostly empty, with only a few pieces of detection equipment and some chairs.
"There’s nothing here. Let’s go up to the second floor!"
Long Ming said to Xiaoqi and the others.
"Okay!"
Xiaoqi and his group nodded.
Soon, they reached the second floor.
The second floor was also a huge hall, but it was in complete disarray. Overturned chairs and debris were scattered everywhere, and there were several boarding gates along the left side.
Long Ming carefully scanned and searched the area.
BEEP BEEP~
Just then, his scanner detected two guardians hiding in the distance.
He immediately turned his gun and fired with precision.
PEW~
The beam instantly pierced through an obstacle and hit the guardian.
After taking it out, Long Ming continued his search. But after searching for a long time, he found no other enemies in the hall.
’He was a little surprised. The defenses of this interstellar aerospace research base were actually this weak.’
Just then, Long Ming noticed a sign on the wall indicating the location of the office area.
He glanced in the direction of the office area, which seemed to be in the "bird’s head" section. He then said to Xiaoqi and the others,
"Xiaoqi, you guys search this hall. I’m going to check out the office area."
"Okay!"
Xiaoqi and the other three nodded in agreement.
"Also, if you hear any sounds of fighting, no matter how loud it gets, don’t come over. I’ll handle it myself. If I can’t, I’ll retreat back here to get you out."
Long Ming instructed them.
"Understood!"
Xiaoqi and the others knew they couldn’t be of much help anyway.
Long Ming then headed toward the "bird’s head" section.
Soon, he passed through a corridor and arrived at an office area.
The area was filled with cubicles, and various documents were scattered on the floor.
Long Ming crouched down, picked up a document, and scanned it with his wristband.
CWQ Voltage Regulation Circuitry - First Draft
Grade: Blue.
Long Ming tossed it aside after seeing the prompt.
’Even though this stuff was quite valuable, it still fell short of his expectations.’
’Of course, the main reason was the presence of enemies. It would be impossible to haul out bags of loot, so the amount he could carry was very limited.’
Long Ming searched around a bit more but didn’t find anything particularly good. His gaze then fell on the individual offices in the corner.
He walked over, pushed open the door to one of the offices, and peered inside.
The furnishings inside the office were relatively intact. There was a cabinet and a desk.
The cabinet was filled with various documents and books, and on the desk sat a strangely shaped computer.
Long Ming walked to the cabinet, pulled out some books and documents to inspect them, then put them back.
He turned his head to the desk and began to search it.
Five minutes later, Long Ming had finished searching most of the office area and was a little disappointed.
’To think that such a huge terminal would have so little to offer. It seems the good stuff is all in the other building.’
’But since he had already promised that building to Oritta and her group, Long Ming naturally wouldn’t go back on his word.’
Just as Long Ming was about to head back, he suddenly noticed a staircase leading up to a third floor.
’There’s a third floor?’
He was somewhat surprised and started walking up the stairs.
...
--------------
「Kamoto, the Mechanical City · Central Control Room.」
On the virtual screen, an image of the Fukete Nuclear Fission Power Plant was displayed.
Streams of feedback messages popped up:
"No other attacking enemies found!"
"No suspicious targets found!"
...
The Kamoto AI began to continuously analyze the incoming intelligence.
Although the Fukete Nuclear Fission Power Plant had been attacked, no follow-up enemies could be found. It immediately sensed that something was wrong.
Just then, a new notification popped up.
"Interstellar Aerospace R&D Base under attack!"
The Kamoto AI instantly realized it had been tricked and immediately began generating a new combat plan.
"Deploy War Fortress: Pulverizer."
"Deploy Unmanned Mecha: Chengqi!"
"Mobilize Mechanical Warriors, Guardians, and Mechanical Hounds..."
...
--------------
「Interstellar Aerospace R&D Base.」
Long Ming cautiously arrived on the third floor.
A luxurious reception hall came into view.
The hall’s floor was paved with blue glazed tiles, and a sapphire chandelier hung from the ceiling.
Long Ming only glanced at the decor before his eyes landed on a room at the far end of the hall.
A black metal door was slightly ajar.
’If I’m not mistaken, that room should be the station master’s office.’
Long Ming walked straight to the door and cautiously gave it a push.
CREAK~
The door swung open.
Long Ming stepped inside, entering a luxurious office.
The office floor was covered with an exquisite, red, handmade carpet. To the right stood a row of cabinets made from golden silkwood.
Directly ahead was a transparent glass curtain wall and a massive mahogany desk.
As Long Ming walked further in, he scanned the entire office with his scanner, but it didn’t detect any anomalies.
Just then, the executive chair behind the desk suddenly swiveled around.
The Gale’s scanning device suddenly blared an alarm.
Long Ming was startled.
A mechanical warrior appeared, dressed in a black gentleman’s suit with an exquisite brooch on its chest, wearing a black bowler hat, and possessing red electronic eyes.
Long Ming’s brow furrowed slightly as he grew wary.
’This guy actually managed to evade the Gale’s scan.’
HUM~
Just then, his wristband displayed a notification.
Station Master of the Interstellar Aerospace Research Base: Kaluot.
"Hello, you foolish intruder!"
Kaluot slowly stood up, pressed his right hand on the desk, and elegantly vaulted over it to land on the floor.
He then picked up a black mechanical hilt from the edge of the desk and activated it. A Light Saber instantly shot out, which he spun elegantly a few times.
"Intruder, are you prepared to pay the price?"
Kaluot glanced at his Light Saber and spoke coolly. Then, he suddenly attacked, rushing forward at an incredible speed.
Long Ming decisively raised his Light Beam Rifle and fired a burst at Kaluot.
PEW~
A series of beams shot out.
Kaluot’s body moved like a phantom to dodge them. When he couldn’t dodge, he swung his Light Saber to cleave the incoming beams, instantly sending light particles scattering everywhere.
In an instant, Kaluot closed the distance on Long Ming and swung his Light Saber in a vicious slash.