The humming that rattled the void gradually died away, slow and steady.
The steel ship landed atop the flat fortress.
--There was a landing pad here specifically for receiving ships from outside.
"What is this place?" Lan Xiu asked.
"I'm not sure either," Su Xue'er said. "I have a Star Chart, and this is the location it ultimately pointed to. It's marked as a war fortress."
She stared at the display, her hands flying as she issued commands and checked the operation of every part of the ship.
At last, line after line of evaluations appeared on the screen:
"Overall operation: good."
"Spare parts: sufficient. Damaged sections undergoing automatic repairs."
"Estimated repair time: 17 minutes, 59 seconds."
Su Xue'er let out a breath of relief.
This steel ship was the last fortress safeguarding Gu Qingshan's body. It absolutely could not break down.
Sha Qiang said with interest, "If this is a war fortress, we ought to be able to find some weapons from the Technology Side."
Gu Yan's voice drifted out coldly. "Would you even know how to use weapons from the Technology Side?"
Sha Qiang paused, then burst out laughing. "Fair point. I can't be bothered with anything that complicated!"
Su Xue'er thought it over, then nodded. "The Star Radiance Empire's technology is all pretty powerful. I'll see if I can establish contact with the fortress."
Lan Xiu shrugged. "I heard weapons from the Technology Side need constant maintenance. A billion years have passed. Even if there are weapons inside, they're probably scrap by now."
Su Xue'er insisted, "We still have to try. If there's anything we can use, it'll give us an extra measure of protection."
She activated the communications device and tried to search for the fortress's signal.
The others exchanged glances, their faces showing some surprise.