"Bleurgh! Ptoo, ptoo!"
"What are you doing?"
The soldier's retching made Bruis, the Science Officer who had now been promoted by Cole to deputy officer, look thoroughly displeased.
"Sorry, after drinking energy fluid for a year, and only one flavor at that, I really couldn't hold it in. Bleurgh!"
"Bleurgh! Damn it, you're making me want to throw up too."
As if it were contagious, everyone's stomachs began churning one after another. In the distance, Cole still relied on sheer willpower to force the nutrient fluid in his mouth down his throat.
"Quiet. Hold on a little longer. The Energy Collector will be repaired soon, and then you can have whatever flavor you want."
"I miss strawberries," one soldier muttered lifelessly.
"Ptoo. Hawthorn blossom flavor is still the best."
"Lowly fools. Who told you not to earn enough merit? Look at me—perfect modifications. Fragrant engine oil flows through my veins. Captivating. Intoxicating."
"A bunch of idiots!" Cole cursed under his breath in irritation, while Yuan actually found the scene somewhat enjoyable.
"Finding joy in hardship isn't so bad, is it?"
Yuan wore a sunny smile, and the confidence that everything was under control made Cole's expression improve considerably.
"Perhaps, Your Excellency, but we really should leave. You have no idea—this past year, for me, it really has been..."
As he spoke, Cole's face filled with bitterness.
"It's truly been like living through years in a single day. The day before yesterday, I dreamed Snow captured me. He beat me with a shovel for a hundred years—one hundred years! That dead pervert, idiot, lunatic."
Whether Snow had inflicted immense psychological trauma on Cole, or the past year had stretched Cole's nerves too taut...
Cole no longer had the bearing of the Supreme Commander of the Vanguard Fleet. No wonder he had formally appointed Bruis as this team's deputy officer on that night half a year ago.
"Quiet!" Yuan's voice was gentle, yet Cole shuddered. It was like an icy winter wind brushing across his arm, bringing a bone-piercing chill that sobered him instantly.
"Rest easy. The time is about right."
"Y-You mean?"
Yuan's answer made Cole tense up immediately. His eyes gleamed as he looked expectantly at the confident Yuan.
"Yes. A year was faster than I expected."
Indeed, over the past year, Yuan had done his utmost to absorb all the knowledge and information in the Taotie warship's database.
It was clear that Cole and the others had come prepared. The information in the database was extremely detailed. From data formulas to technological blueprints, it had everything.
Most importantly, although the Taotie had no knowledge or data from the God-making civilizations, their probing over hundreds of years had still recorded some rudimentary knowledge and information.
This information had helped him greatly and allowed Yuan to understand his own shortcomings. However, without detailed data, he would still have to explore the rest himself.
"Without sufficient resources and materials, I cannot construct a Dark Dimension. All data and energy algorithms cannot be stored. Compared to energy in the main material world, Dark Energy is still far too inert.
"Without a Dark Matter Computer, my genes cannot display much of their potential either. But it is enough to repair the warship and leave the Styx Galaxy."
Cole indicated that he had no idea what Yuan was talking about, but he was deeply shaken nonetheless.
As Yuan explained to Cole, he released a projection resembling a towering tree from the battle armor on his hand.
As his hands moved, the tree-shaped three-dimensional projection grew larger and larger until it enveloped everyone.
The projection resembled a vast stellar universe, with countless specks of light glittering within it like an endless sea.
The Taotie soldiers each poked at a light point, finding the sensation exceedingly strange.
"This is all the data from the warship's central system. It is highly organized and can form a complete data chain."
Yuan plucked a point of light from within with his left hand. His right hand opened slightly, and the point instantly transformed into a massive graphic projection—a simple Nuclear Fission projection.
"The gap in knowledge is so vast. The boundless universe is terrifying enough, yet even within a mustard seed lies great terror."
Cole no longer cared about such reflections. Impatient as he was, all he wanted was to repair the warship as soon as possible and leave this damned planet.
But Yuan was marveling at the wonders of the world, and Cole did not dare interrupt him. He could only scratch his head anxiously and stare helplessly from the side.
"Heh, now you finally look like a beast-man. Come with me." Knowing that Cole and the others could no longer wait, Yuan did not waste any more time.
With that, he led the expectant Cole and the others onto the warship. Cole did not care about what Yuan had said. Let alone looking like a beast-man—even if Yuan called him a wild beast, he would accept it.
Besides, the Taotie were beast-men evolved from wild beasts to begin with. What was wrong with saying so?
As everyone entered the warship, its battered state immediately came into view. Over the past year, the Taotie had certainly not been idle.
Many parts of the warship had already been patched up. At least, the hull had been restored, and it now possessed a roughly complete shape.
But when it came to the core components and various systems, they were powerless.
Although the deputy officer was the warship's Science Officer, his reserve of knowledge was not sufficient to repair every component of the warship.
As the main Firepower Ship of an Astral Civilization, it might have been as insignificant as an ant before all manner of celestial warships.
Yet its precision was extremely advanced for the Taotie. Building one required the participation of thirty-six Astral Civilization industrial departments, more than 2,840 elites from various disciplines, numerous machinery factories, research institutes, and more.
And that was only a Firepower Ship, let alone the Vanguard Flagship, of which the Taotie themselves possessed very few.
Yuan walked into the warship's command room and sat in the main seat without hesitation.
Several streams of data flickered across the faceplate of his armor as he spoke to Bruis, the deputy officer standing behind Cole.
"I've sent you a list of required materials. The computing unit built into the Commander's Battle Armor is too slow.
"The warship is damaged too severely. We need to establish a separate Repair Model Unit for comparison. Only then can we call upon the database information to carry out comprehensive repairs."
"Yes, Your Excellency. We'll prepare them immediately."
"Oh, right." Yuan reached out and stopped Bruis, who was about to leave.
"Wasn't there still a Dark Energy Detector aboard the warship?"
"You mean that broken 'cup'?" Bruis asked with a faintly amused smile.
"Cup, cup—your whole family are cups. I only said it casually once, and you still remember it, huh? Shit, did you secretly repair the VR Simulation Room? Damn it, I really want to take your head out and give it a good wash."
Bruis shrank back under Cole's tirade. He did not understand why a mere joke had made the commander so furious.
"Hey, having needs is normal. A dull life needs a little hormonal stimulation, doesn't it? What's wrong with the VR room? Don't tell me you've never used it."
Yuan glanced sideways at him with a trace of amusement in his eyes, while Bruis hurriedly went to retrieve that cup.
After handing it to Yuan, Bruis did not even dare glance at Cole. He hurriedly led the remaining soldiers out of the command center.
"You know, it really does look a little like one. Oh! It even has a switch."
Smack!
Listening to Yuan's teasing words, Cole helplessly slapped a hand over his face.
He's so old, yet he still pretends to be innocent. Yuan shook his head speechlessly.
Crack!
Crack!
As the casing shattered, the cup rolled over and over in Yuan's hands. Before long, it had been dismantled into over a hundred parts.
Then Yuan's gaze sharpened slightly. Pale blue Dark Energy surged between his hands and enveloped all the components.
Then he suddenly clenched his fist tightly. A faint but piercing explosion rang out.
Whoosh!
Black smoke rose, then quickly dispersed in a breeze Yuan casually summoned. The hundreds of components that had originally been laid out were completely destroyed, leaving only several granular remnants behind.
"Just as I thought," Yuan murmured.
"Your Excellency? What are you...?"
"Making preparations for the future." With that, he looked at the stunned Cole and smiled meaningfully.
Before you continue