The dramatic scene left Guxing and the others somewhat dumbfounded.
But the facts were right before them, forcing them to believe that their commander had effortlessly lured away this extremely dangerous being with just a few words.
Guxue looked at Tianling floating in front of Qingyang and quietly moved closer to Guxing.
"Brother Qingyang seems to be very attractive to certain special girls."
Hearing this, Guxing could not help glancing at Changxi, then at Tianling, whose expressionless body carried a mechanical air.
He suddenly understood. "The commander really has a knack for mechanical girls."
Perhaps Guxing had not fully recovered from the shock, or perhaps this area was simply too empty.
Everyone heard Guxing's quiet muttering.
Changxi and Qingyang both looked at Guxing. The former had amusement in her eyes, while the latter was full of surprise.
Even thick-browed, big-eyed Guxing knew about mechanical girls?
Not so honest after all!
As for Tianling, her delicate, slightly childish face remained completely calm. Her gaze was still fixed on Qingyang, as though she had no interest in anything around her.
"Prepare to leave. The distress signal has not moved for a long time, and judging from the situation, it probably wasn't sent by Alliance personnel."
After briefly checking the surroundings and confirming there was nothing worth taking, Qingyang prepared to leave.
After all, this exploration had already been more than worthwhile. They had even learned some information beyond ordinary standards.
For someone as curious as Qingyang, that was far more alluring than ordinary wealth.
The shuttle opened its hatch. This time, there was one more person boarding it than when they had arrived.
Changxi controlled the shuttle as it returned the way it came. When they passed through that enormous passage, those bronze components once again stirred Qingyang's curiosity.
"Tianling, what are these ancient mechanical components?"
Since he had an "insider" from the ruins beside him, Qingyang simply asked directly.
But Tianling's next words drastically changed everyone's expressions.
"They used to be the lifeforms and intelligent machines in the base. As for why they became like this... I don't know," Tianling explained softly.
"!!!"
Bronze gears, bronze components... Was this what Meme contamination looked like?
That high-dimensional divinity was related to machinery.
No one noticed that the bronze mechanical components around them suddenly lit up at the same time.
Then, an utterly twisted existence composed chaotically of countless bronze machines appeared in everyone's minds.
Qingyang suddenly felt his heart tremble, while a faint numbness spread across his spine.
[Warning: Star Network has detected trace Meme contamination. It has been successfully neutralized.] [Do not investigate related information before T5.]
Everyone instantly snapped awake.
"Hah!"
Qingyang and Guxing looked at each other, the shock in their eyes unmistakable.
The sheer pervasiveness of Meme contamination stunned even the well-informed Guxing.
"Accelerate and leave this place!" Qingyang said solemnly.
The shuttle immediately burst forth at full speed, rushing out of the research base before eventually entering the Taiyi.
Without stopping, the Eternal Fleet swiftly entered Near-light Speed Travel.
They headed directly beyond this mass of Energy Particles.
Not knowing had been one thing, but after experiencing the Meme contamination crisis, everyone now felt that the base was strange in every respect.
Whether it was that inexplicable distress signal, the bronze mechanical components scattered everywhere, or even the data disorder in the base's intelligent control system mentioned in the experiment logs.
Qingyang and the others had not uncovered the truth behind any of it.
Qingyang looked back at the dimly glowing research ruins megastructure and felt as if it were shrouded in an eerie fog.
This was not an illusion. They definitely had not felt this way when they first arrived!
When had it begun?
When they released Tianling, or when they had just started speculating about that high-dimensional divinity?
With a slight shiver, Qingyang wore a serious expression as he did something.
Report it!
He directly reported to the Star Network and the Alliance Army that this ruin bore traces of a high-dimensional divinity and had experienced a large-scale Meme contamination incident!
Since he was not qualified to investigate it, he would bring in people who were qualified.
As for Tianling, the Star Network had been online the entire time and had not said anything, so there was naturally no need to worry that exposing her would put her in danger.
After filing the report, Qingyang felt completely relaxed. He dropped onto the sofa in the lounge, ready to lie down and relax for a while.
Then the warm, soft sensation beneath his head made Qingyang freeze, and he subconsciously opened his eyes.
"Is my lap comfortable?" Changxi asked with a light laugh.
"..."
Qingyang was silent. Qingyang was dumbfounded. Qingyang did not understand.
Just as he tried to get up, Changxi pressed his forehead and made him continue lying down.
"Although the Meme contamination was cleared just now, it still caused some mental strain. Let me help the commander ease it."
Feeling an immediate wave of comfort wash over his mind, Qingyang stopped refusing and lay there with a clear conscience.
Tianling silently watched the two of them from the side, though no one knew what she was thinking.
The Eternal Fleet soon reached the edge of the Energy Particles mass.
By then, Qingyang and the others had mostly recovered and were energetically playing cards in the control room.
"Hahaha, we're finally getting out! The light from these Energy Particles has been making me uncomfortable."
As the particle currents around the fleet gradually thinned, the Eternal Fleet finally burst out of the Energy Particles mass that stretched across several light-days.
But Qingyang soon could not laugh anymore.
Ahead of the Energy Particles mass, tens of thousands of orderly Mecha warships formed a fan-shaped encirclement around the Eternal Fleet.
The large number of medium Mecha ships and high-level Mecha ships kept the Taiyi's alarms blaring.
Staring at the massive War Fortresses at the edge of his vision, Qingyang's eye twitched.
Unless something unexpected happened, this Mecha fleet had come specifically for the Eternal Fleet.
The reason was most likely that they had been marked by something when they destroyed the Mecha warships at the first Moro Metal production site.
Otherwise, the Mecha fleet could not have locked onto the Eternal Fleet in an environment like Qian Sen Star Lake.
Guxing was not panicked. On the contrary, he remained extremely calm. "Quite lively."
Other than those War Fortresses, none of the Mecha warships before them could travel through Dark Space.
Escaping would not be difficult.
But once they entered Dark Space, the dangers they encountered would likely be no less severe than this Mecha fleet.
"A group beatdown and an ambush? Mechas know how to fight dirty too, huh?" Qingyang said helplessly.
The good mood brought by Changxi's lap pillow was instantly wiped out.
Guxing smiled. "No, no. As far as Mechas are concerned, any tactic is an excellent tactic as long as it works."
Qingyang stared at Guxing in confusion. "Why do I feel like you're not worried at all?"
"Didn't the commander report this ruin to the Alliance? Based on the timing, the Alliance Army should be arriving soon. What do we have to worry about?"
As soon as Guxing finished speaking, dozens of dazzling spears of light crossed the starry sky and pierced into the Mecha fleet like sharp blades.
The Mechas' War Fortresses were the first to be struck!
Violent secondary explosions and energy shockwaves raged outward. Faced with this sudden beyond-visual-range attack, the Mecha fleet was severely damaged in an instant!
Then, a large number of Alliance Army warships and dozens of God Hunter War Stars emerged from subspace.
They appeared in Qingyang and the others' field of vision.
The more than ten thousand Mecha warships did not hesitate and immediately launched an attack on the Alliance Army.
However, against the synchronized bombardment of tens of thousands of beams, energy cannons, and rays from each War Star, the Mecha fleet was completely annihilated in just one round!
Afterward, special fluctuations continuously spread from the War Stars, and the ocean of energy around them, which had nearly erupted due to the high-intensity firepower, gradually calmed down.
[This is the Qian Sen Star Lake Alliance Garrison. Thank you to the Star Commander for providing this information.] [Your military merit and reward will be delivered after our forces complete their investigation of the ruins.]
"Should we go to the third Moro Metal production area?" Qingyang suddenly asked as he watched the final War Star enter the Energy Particles mass.
The Mecha fleet had just suffered a devastating blow, so the Mecha defenses at the other Moro Metal production areas would surely be greatly weakened!
They could pick up Moro Metal for free again.
Reporting really was wonderful!
Please keep reading tomorrow.
Before you continue