Chapter 54 – The Origin of the Signal 信号发源地

Three days later, the spaceship landed quietly on the surface of the Zerg Star. The climate was gloomy, the sky of the Zerg Star was blood-red, and the land seemed to have been gnawed into a desolate wasteland by the Zerg. A pungent smell filled the air, and the thick, sticky moisture made it hard to breathe. At the first glance, Lin Yuan thought that this place was not at all like a planet suitable for any creature to live on, but more like a natural battlefield.

"It's really depressing," Lin Yuan muttered in a low voice. He used his spiritual power to sense the surroundings. All he felt was dryness and death. Besides the Zerg's harsh aura, there was no sign of life.

The main commander quickly gathered the team for a mission briefing. In a simple mobile command room, a holographic map was projected into the air, clearly showing the structure of the land on the Zerg Star to everyone. The main commander's voice was calm and low. He stood in front of the map and pointed to two different areas with his finger.

"This mission is of vital importance, and everyone must go all out. We have two major objectives."

The map zoomed in and fixed on an area near a mountain range in the Zerg Star's northern hemisphere. The signal-fluctuation source was very obvious.

"The first mission: Investigate the source of the mysterious signal fluctuation, determine its function and bring back Kepler 4b if possible. If this is really some kind of communication device, we have reason to suspect that the Zerg are using it for some kind of secret strategic communication."

The map switched to another vast flat area, a barren wasteland where not a single blade of grass grew, just like a wasteland.

"The second mission: XX Energy Company has hired us to check this area. There might be a special ore here, really important for our mecha's energy core tech. But we need to be very careful because the Zerg are very active here."

The main commander swept his eyes across the whole room: "The eight teams have been divided into two camps. Mission One and Mission Two will be carried out by two large teams respectively, and each small team will act according to their division of labor. Everyone must remember that the danger of the Zerg Star far exceeds our imagination."

Lin Yuan, Lin Wanqing, and Li Xingchen were all assigned to the first large team, with the target being the source of the signal fluctuation.

After the briefing, Lin Yuan frowned. He felt the signal area was a trap, yet had no specific objections.

"The signal interference is so serious. This place is clearly the Zerg's base camp," Lin Yuan muttered in a low voice, "If we get close, we might just be going to our deaths."

Li Xingchen heard his complaint and chuckled, "Scared? Then you might as well stay on the spaceship."

Lin Yuan rolled his eyes and didn't reply, just continued looking at the map. He knew he had no choice but to face it bravely.

At this moment, Lin Wanqing calmly analyzed, "The link between the signal and the Zerg may be crucial for cracking their tactics. If this mission succeeds, the Federation's battle situation will improve."

"Theoretically speaking, that's true," Lin Yuan shrugged helplessly, "But if we fail, we'll just be sacrificing our lives in vain."

The three of them looked at each other. Although they each had their own concerns about the mission, they all knew that this mission was inescapable.

The first large team advanced slowly. The surrounding environment became even more gloomy. There was a low humming sound mixed in the air, which was a sign of the Zerg's activities in the distance. The ground had corrosion marks and scattered Zerg shells, as if a battle had just happened.

During the advance, Lin Yuan's spiritual power tried to sense the environment again, but apart from the faint dryness and death, he still couldn't get more information. Feeling a little annoyed in his heart, he muttered in a low voice, "This place is drier than the desert. I can't even sense any moisture. My spiritual power is useless here, I guess."

Li Xingchen heard it but just smiled meaningfully, "Don't worry. When you detect the real fluctuation of water elements, you'll understand your own value."

"More riddles..." Lin Yuan rolled his eyes and kept observing the surroundings.

During the advance, the team members found several Zerg corpses and mechanical wrecks in a ruin. Lin Yuan squatted down and examined them carefully, and found that the marks of the Zerg's sharp claws were mixed with the marks of mechanical cutting, which looked very strange.

"These cutting marks don't seem to be caused by the Zerg's weapons. They are more like some kind of high-precision mecha tools," Lin Yuan said in a low voice, "What on earth happened here?"

Hearing this, Li Xingchen frowned. "We're not the first here. Maybe the Zerg fought other forces before."

Lin Wanqing carefully examined the structure of the wreckage and suddenly found a strange symbol engraved on one of the metal plates. She pointed to the wreckage, "This mark looks like a certain Zerg language and may be related to the signal device we are looking for."

The three decided to go deeper and the atmosphere got even tenser.

...

At the same time, a high-level meeting was held by the federal government of Kepler 4b. The real-time intelligence of the Zerg Star was projected on the large screen, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

"The abnormal fluctuations on the Zerg Star must be taken seriously," Su Ling's voice was filled with excitement, "According to our analysis, this kind of fluctuation may originate from a device of an unknown civilization, and it may even be the key to breaking through the Zerg's technology."

Ye Qingxuan said coldly, "An unknown civilization? Our current threat is the Zerg. Any hasty decision could lead us into a worse crisis."

Su Ling: "Qingxuan, you are always so cautious... But sometimes, exploring the unknown is the way to solve the problem. I don't want to miss this opportunity."

Ye Qingxuan and Su Ling locked eyes, yet their attitudes puzzled others.

=======================

三天后,飞船在虫星表面悄然着陆.气候阴沉,虫星的天空一片血红,大地仿佛被虫族啃噬成了一片荒芜的废土.空气中弥漫着刺鼻的气味,黏稠的湿气令人喘不过气来.林远第一眼望出去,就觉得这个地方完全不像一个适合任何生物生存的星球,而更像是某种天然的战场.

"真够压抑的," 林远小声嘀咕了一句,用精神力试图感应周围的环境,却感受到一片干涸和死寂,除了虫族的残暴气息,没有一丝生命的律动.

主指挥官迅速召集队伍展开任务简报.在一间简陋的移动指挥室里,全息地图投射到空气中,将虫星的大地结构清晰地呈现在众人面前.主指挥官的声音冷静且低沉,他站在地图前,手指点向两处不同的区域.

"这次任务至关重要,大家必须全力以赴.我们有两大目标."

地图放大,锁定在虫星北半球的一片山脉附近,信号波动的来源点显得格外明显.

"第一任务:探查神秘信号波动的来源,确定其功能并尽可能带回开普勒4b.如果这真是某种通讯设备,我们有理由怀疑虫族正在利用它进行某种隐秘的战略联络."

地图切换到另一处广袤平地,那是一片寸草不生的荒原,犹如废土.

"第二任务:xx能源公司委托我们前往这片区域,这里可能藏有一种特殊矿石,对我们的机甲能源核心技术有着突破性的意义.但必须高度警戒,虫族在这一带的活动异常频繁."

主指挥官扫视全场:"八支队伍已经分成两大阵营,任务一和任务二分别由两大队执行,各小队按分工进行.每个人务必要记住,虫星的危险性远超我们的想象."

林远,林晚晴以及黎星辰都被分在第一大队,目标是信号波动的来源.

林远听完简报,眉头紧锁.他总觉得这片信号区域像是个陷阱,但又无法提出具体的反对意见.

"信号干扰这么严重,这地方分明是虫族的大本营啊," 林远低声嘀咕, "我们靠近了,可能就是去送人头的."

黎星辰听见了他的吐槽,轻笑了一声:"害怕了?那干脆留在飞船上好了."

林远翻了个白眼,没有接话,只是继续看着地图.他知道自己别无选择,只能硬着头皮上.

而此时,林晚晴则冷静地分析道:"信号波动与虫族之间的联系很可能是我们破解虫族战术的关键.如果这次任务能成功,联邦的战局会迎来转机."

"理论上是这么说," 林远无奈地耸了耸肩, "但如果我们失败了,那就是白白送命."

三人对视了一眼,虽然对任务各有担忧,但他们都清楚,这次任务是无法逃避的.

第一大队缓缓前进.周围的环境越发阴森,空气中夹杂着低沉的嗡嗡声,那是远处虫族活动的迹象.地面布满了腐蚀的痕迹,还有一些散乱的虫壳,仿佛刚经历了一场惨烈的厮杀.

在推进的途中,林远的精神力再次尝试感知环境,但除了隐隐的干涸与死寂,他依旧无法获得更多信息.心中不禁有些烦躁,他低声吐槽道:"这地方比沙漠还干,连水分都感觉不到,我这精神力算是废了吧."

黎星辰听见了,却只是意味深长地笑了笑:"别急,等你发现真正的水元素波动时,你会明白自己的价值."

"又是谜语人发言..." 林远翻了个白眼,转而继续小心观察周围.

在推进过程中,小队成员在一片废墟中发现了几件虫族尸体和机械残骸.林远蹲下仔细检查,发现了虫族的利爪痕迹与机械切割痕迹混杂在一起,显得格外奇怪.

"这些切割痕迹不像是虫族的武器造成的,更像是某种高精度的机甲工具." 林远低声说道,"这里到底发生了什么?"

黎星辰闻言,皱起眉头:"看来我们并不是第一个到达这里的,可能虫族之前就已经和其他势力发生过冲突."

林晚晴仔细查看了残骸的结构,突然发现其中一块金属板上刻着一个奇怪的符号.她指了指那块残骸:"这个标记,像是某种虫族的语言,可能和我们要寻找的信号设备有关."

三人决定继续深入,而气氛也越发紧张.

...

与此同时,开普勒4b的联邦政府召开了一场高级会议.大屏幕上投射出虫星的实时情报,气氛异常紧张.

"虫星的异常波动必须引起重视," 苏灵的声音中带着兴奋, "根据我们的分析,这种波动可能源自某种未知文明的装置,甚至有可能是突破虫族技术的关键."

叶青璇冷冷地开口: "未知文明?我们现在面对的威胁是虫族,任何冒进的决策都可能让我们陷入更大的危机."

苏灵:"青璇,你总是这么谨慎... 但有时候,探索未知才是解决问题的办法.我可不想错过这次机会."

叶青璇与苏灵目光交锋,彼此的态度却让旁人摸不透.