Chapter 7: Colonization in Progress!

Tang Jie was a ship engineer, and he was honored to be assigned as both the onboard engineer and captain of the colony ship.

Because he was responsible for handling any minor malfunctions that might occur during the voyage, he couldn't enter cryosleep like the rest of the colonists.

As a result, he was given a private 20-square-meter room with a shower and access to a gym—quite a luxury in the otherwise crowded colony ship.

Tang Jie wiped the water off his head as he stepped out of the shower. It had been thirty-nine days since he boarded the ship. From the initial excitement to boredom and finally to acceptance, the journey had become a routine. The ship was built with such high precision that not a single minor issue had occurred during the entire voyage.

This was driving him crazy. No one to talk to, no one to drink with—and worst of all, no work to do!

"The ship will reach New Haven Star's orbit in ten minutes. All engineers, please conduct a final comprehensive inspection of the vessel."

A robotic voice announced through the ship's intercom.

Tang Jie quickly dressed, toothbrush still in his mouth as he stepped into the elevator. The elevator rose briefly before stopping at the bridge level.

Sitting in the captain's chair, Tang Jie absentmindedly tapped through the system's diagnostic list while brushing his teeth, but soon, something outside the window caught his eye.

A sapphire-like planet hung quietly in space not far from the ship. Even from here, he could see the white clouds drifting in its sky and scattered islands dotting the vast ocean.

Massive imperial satellites floated along the planet's orbit, part of the navigation, communication, and security system Emperor Li Mingze had deployed in advance. These satellites also carried a stockpile of neutron warheads—if the colony was ever threatened by native wildlife, hellfire would rain from the sky.

The main engines of the colony ship shut down, and its braking thrusters engaged. A soft blue glow emitted from beneath the ship's bow as its speed rapidly decreased.

"Beep! The ship has entered New Haven Star's orbit. Preparing to descend to Landing Zone A."

In a carefully coordinated maneuver, the five colony ships formed an elegant L-shape in space, aligning their underbellies toward the planet. Then, the ships' main engine modules detached from their hulls.

This was done for efficiency—once the colony ships landed, they would be converted into Capital Building, meaning spacefaring propulsion systems like jump drives and deep-space thrusters would be redundant. The detached engines would remain in space, where retrieval vessels would later collect them for future use.

With their propulsion modules discarded, the five colony ships plunged toward the planet, their underbelly armor glowing red-hot as they cut through the atmosphere.

On a distant island, a few Zim Beasts—native creatures of New Haven Star—watched the descending fiery streaks with wide, confused eyes. Their fist-sized brains couldn't comprehend the monumental change about to unfold on their world.

"Ship angle set to 25 degrees. Anti-gravity thrusters at 97% output. Hull integrity at 99.9975%. All systems normal. Initiating auxiliary thrusters at Landing Zone A."

Tang Jie, sitting in the command chair, watched the landing site grow larger and larger with barely contained excitement. After more than a month drifting through space, he was finally about to set foot on solid ground! He desperately missed the feel of the wind and the warmth of sunlight.

With a loud THUMP, the colony ship's landing struts slammed into the ground. In the control room, Tang Jie expertly initiated the ship's transformation sequence—a moment he had been training for over the past six months.

The ship began to change dramatically.

First, the underbelly armor panels opened, and a massive drill extended into the ground, anchoring itself deep below—this would serve as the foundation of the future city.

Then, the top armor plates unfolded, revealing various prefabricated buildings that rose from the ship's structure. At the heart of the base, a high platform deployed a powerful radar and communication tower.

Liquid metal poured from the ship's lower compartments, rapidly spreading across the ground and hardening into a metal flooring.

The detached armor plating was dismantled by mechanical arms, reshaped into long segments, and assembled into a perimeter wall around the colony.

The ship's side hatches opened, and container-like storage units—each filled with cryosleep pods—were carefully placed onto the metallic ground by robotic arms.

Countless robots swarmed out from the cargo hold, swiftly unlocking the storage units and activating the cryo-chambers.

"Welcome to New Haven Star! Current temperature: 26°C. Humidity: Moderate. UV radiation: Safe. Wind speed: Level 3. Oxygen concentration: 22%. We wish you a pleasant life on your new world. This is AI-0023 at your service."

One by one, the cryosleep pods opened. Colonists, clad in light protective gear, groggily awoke from their slumber.

As more people gathered along the perimeter walls, they gazed out at the deep blue ocean stretching beyond the colony's borders, basking in the warm light of their new sun. Their hearts raced with excitement—this was it! Their new home, waiting for them to build from the ground up!

"All imperial citizens are advised not to leave the base. Although the landscape beyond the walls is beautiful, it is inhabited by large amphibious creatures."

A voice from the colony's broadcasting system issued a warning.

But one overly eager young woman ignored it. Wearing her powered exosuit, she leaped off the perimeter wall and sprinted toward the ocean.

"Stop her! It's dangerous out there!"

The security chief shouted, but it was too late.

Because the colony was meant to establish a port, the landing site was only a few hundred meters from the bay. For someone in a powered exosuit, that distance could be covered in seconds.

The young woman reached the shore and plunged into the water, floating on the surface as she turned back toward the colony.

"The water here is deep but super clear! I can see all the way to the bottom! There's nothing dangerous out here!"

But something was wrong. Everyone on the wall wasn't looking at her—they were staring behind her.

Slowly, she turned her head, mumbling, "You guys are just trying to scare me, aren't you?"

Then, she froze in terror.

A massive, translucent mouth—five meters in diameter—loomed behind her, its jaws lined with razor-sharp, crystal-clear teeth.

Yes, the creature was completely transparent. If not for the way it distorted the light, no one would have seen it at all.

The girl's mind went blank. The stench of its breath filled her nostrils. She tried to scream, but her voice caught in her throat.

Then...

PFFFFT!

The monstrous creature let out a loud, wet burst of gas.

With an enormous bubbling noise, the creature dived back into the ocean, disappearing without a trace. It seemed that it had merely surfaced to relieve itself.

A few guards rushed forward, scooping the unconscious girl out of the water and carrying her to the infirmary.

After that, nobody dared to venture beyond the colony walls.