Triggering the Plot, An Ancient Distress Signal

The United Fleet's dozen or so rookie commanders, who considered their development progress to be relatively fast, were dumbfounded.

They stared at the twenty Starships emitting powerful energy fluctuations, holding back three Skarat Beasts, their hearts filled with complex emotions.

Setting aside the famous Shining Moon Type and three unfamiliar Battleships, the sixteen Cruisers alone had energy levels close to their own core Battleships.

And their core Battleships were considered high-grade Battleships!

Their combat power and energy levels were clearly a tier above mid-grade ships.

Cruisers that could rival their high-grade Battleships—how high would Commander Talents and other bonuses have to be?

Gold Talent? Purple-Gold Talent?

Or perhaps an epic talent?

"Is this really a T8 Fleet like ours?!" the burly youth exclaimed in disbelief.

Another youth added, "And it's not even a full T8 Fleet!"

A full T8 Fleet would have at least eighty ships. This fleet before them, with its formidable quality, was clearly still far from complete.

Even so, it felt like they could easily crush their United Fleet!

Even Wang Lian, the most talented among them, gazed with longing. "I didn't expect to encounter such a powerful commander of the same age here in Qian Sen Star Lake. This level of strength is definitely worthy of a spot on the Youth League's rookie prodigy list."

That was a glory all the young people in the entire Alliance dreamed of!

The energy fluctuations in the distance quickly drew their attention back.

The Taiyi stood firm, withstanding the Skarat Beasts' attacks, while its Yuan Sha Main Cannon fired again.

The crimson beam instantly struck one Skarat Beast, but this time it didn't kill it directly. Instead, it shattered its biological field!

The main cannons of the two Chichen Battleships immediately finished charging, and their near-solid light beams roared.

In an instant, the Skarat Beast, stripped of its biological field protection, was killed.

The last one was also eliminated in the same manner by the Eternal Fleet. After all, the Yuan Sha Main Cannon's power was immense. Trying to shatter the biological field while simultaneously killing the Skarat Beast could easily damage the scales on its body.

The battle ended swiftly, and the sixteen Cruisers patrolling the surroundings rejoined the formation.

During the encirclement of the three Skarat Beasts, the sixteen Cruisers had merely provided interference and maintained vigilance. The main assault was carried out by the two Chichen Battleships and the Taiyi.

Currently, these three Starships were the only ones in the Eternal Fleet capable of posing a threat to Level 5 Star Beasts.

Qingyang sent out mechanical units to collect the Skarat scales, his gaze falling upon the United Fleet.

"Oh?"

Upon checking the basic information on the Star Net, Qingyang raised an eyebrow.

They were also rookie commanders who had determined their talents within the past year?

It was indeed remarkable to assemble such a fleet in less than a year, significantly stronger than most rookie commanders.

Aside from some family funding, the majority of these Starships were a mixture of various models.

It was evident that these commanders had acquired their Starships themselves.

This kind of group development was common among commanders without powerful backing.

Qingyang had no intention of conversing with this United Starship Fleet. He planned to leave once the Skarat scales were collected.

Guxue approached and noticed the energy levels of those fleets. "They must be rookie commanders from one of the major powers nearby."

Qingyang nodded. Rookie commanders from elite nations, without family backing, would generally join the military for training.

Rookie commanders who dared to form their own teams and fight independently were rare in both elite and ordinary nations.

Seeing that the Eternal Fleet was ignoring them, Wang Lian felt a bit conflicted.

However, after a final look at the United Fleet's losses, she finally sighed.

She then spoke on the team channel, "Why don't we share the intelligence with this fleet? After all, it was a distress signal. Although the signal is extremely old and likely from ruins, we've only penetrated less than three thousand light-years into the Star Lake, and we've already encountered multiple Level 5 Star Beasts. Our current strength is far from sufficient to proceed further. If that distress signal truly requires help..."

The burly youth and the other youth remained silent for a moment before finally saying, "Agreed."

"I agree too. We've gained enough this time. Our initial development strategy was to take it step by step; we can't rush."

"Indeed, I second that!"

In less than five minutes, everyone had approved the proposal.

Even though it was a signal from ruins, they couldn't rule out the possibility that someone genuinely needed help, however low the probability.

Wang Lian took a deep breath and sent a communication request to the Taiyi.

Not long after, the screen in front of Wang Lian lit up.

Qingyang looked at Wang Lian on the screen, a hint of confusion on his face.

"Thank you so much for your rescue!" Wang Lian said, thanking him while secretly observing Qingyang.

"It's nothing. As fellow Starship Commanders, anyone who saw would have helped."

Qingyang said calmly, sensing that Wang Lian had other things to say.

As expected, after a moment of hesitation, Wang Lian revealed everything, focusing on the distress signal.

Qingyang was initially indifferent, but a hint of curiosity gradually appeared on his face.

An extremely ancient distress signal? Possibly from the previous era?

Confirmed to be from a hidden ruin in Qian Sen Star Lake?

Qingyang stroked his chin and finally said, "It's not impossible that a team was trapped while exploring the ruins and sent out a distress signal using the ruin's equipment."

Not all fleets are Starfleets, and not all fleets can connect to the Star Net.

Besides the Star Net, other networks cannot guarantee stable signals when facing ruins from the previous era that were capable of surviving cosmic resets.

Wang Lian agreed, "That's what I thought, which is why I wanted to ask for your help."

Qingyang did not refuse.

The ancient ruins in Qian Sen Star Lake already held some value, and if something from the previous era could be unearthed, its value would be even greater.

For both logical and emotional reasons, Qingyang had no reason to refuse.

"No problem, leave this to me. I'll let you know if I get any news," Qingyang immediately added Wang Lian as a Star Net friend.

After a brief chat, Qingyang proactively took his leave and ended the communication.

His teammates, who had been listening nearby, exchanged bewildered glances. One of them grinned mischievously.

"Adding the Star Net contact of another male Commander so proactively, that's quite rare, isn't it, Sister Wang?"

"Hahahaha."

"Go away, I just wanted to know if someone was asking for help."

Wang Lian's pretty face flushed slightly, and she immediately dispersed the teasing crowd.

Taiyi.

Guxue pouted, her bright eyes flickering. "Wuwuwu, isn't Brother Qingyang enough for me~"

"I'm not interested in brats." Qingyang, knowing Guxue was joking, tilted his head back with a look of disdain.

"Oh, you."

Guxue bared her teeth and lunged at Qingyang.

After a brief bout of roughhousing, Qingyang recorded the distress signal's location onto Taiyi's Star Chart.

Changxi quickly began her analysis and finally confirmed that it was indeed a distress signal from the previous era.

It was definitely a ruin from an ancient civilization.

However, it was impossible to determine who sent the signal.

"The ruin area and the second Moro Metal production zone are in the same direction, so it won't affect our plan. We'll check it out after collecting the Moro Metal," Qingyang had anticipated this.

Guxing, who was playing cards with his crew members, suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder and looked up.

Qingyang's brilliant smile greeted him.

"I'm counting on you, Brother Gu, since you're the one who triggered this quest!"

"???"

Happy New Year! Happy New Year!

The author is still quite inexperienced in many areas. Feel free to offer any suggestions you may have~