Invasion

Facing the question, Old Lady Jia hesitated briefly before replying, "We have Energy Blocks, but not very many."

Actually, her answer had been somewhat unnecessary.

The next moment, a mysterious voice cried out from the other side, "There's... actually a factory here!"

There was no need for close observation. Once several factories started up, let alone energy fluctuations, their thermal signatures could not be concealed.

All it took was a pair of Night Vision Goggles to spot the abnormalities on the celestial body.

"We are a merchant group under the Empire Expansion Fund," the other side said gravely. "We hope you will cooperate with our rescue efforts!"

Old Lady Jia coughed softly and replied in a somewhat aged voice, "Don't worry. We will definitely cooperate."

The starship drew closer and closer, stopping more than ten kilometers above the ground before deploying a Small Attack Ship.

It hovered directly in front of No. 2 Settlement.

The reason was simple. Several operating Energy Extractors were simply too conspicuous.

At the same time, Qu Jianlei and the others got a clear look at the other side's starship... and it truly was in a miserable state.

It was a large Armed Merchant Ship. Even in the Asteroid Belt, it would definitely count as a behemoth, clearly meant for transporting bulk cargo.

At least seven or eight parts of the starship had been damaged. Even some airtight compartments had been punched through, with obvious signs of makeshift repairs.

Even the Small Attack Ship bore marks of having been attacked, though its damage did not look severe.

The Small Ship landed on the ground, and another voice came over the channel. "All right, come out."

No. 2 Settlement opened, and two people in Spacesuits walked out, along with one person wearing only a helmet.

The three