A month passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, as Lu Feng focused on his cultivation on the Observation Deck, Luo Lin's gentle, clear voice rang throughout the starship:
"All crew members, please pay attention. The Dawn will enter Superluminal Flight Mode in one hour. Please proceed to your assigned Cryo Pods in an orderly manner within the next thirty minutes."
"..."
Lu Feng slowly opened his eyes and took one last look at the deep, dazzling Star Sea outside the viewport. Then he rose and returned to the Living Quarters.
In the corridor, the squad members were filing toward their respective cryo units.
He spotted Gao Zhan and Fang Qing. The two exchanged a brief glance, leaving everything unsaid.
Hong Kun passed him and gave his shoulder a hearty pat.
Many of the squad members who were close to one another were also saying their goodbyes, promising to meet again in a year and a half.
Lu Feng entered pod 1227. The wall had slid open smoothly, revealing the Cryo Pod that had never been used before.
A mist of pale blue nutrient solution filled the pod, giving off a faint trace of life-sustaining energy.
"Sleep well, 1227," Luo Lin's voice sounded inside the pod. "See you in eighteen months."
Lu Feng lay down calmly. As the pod lid closed, his consciousness gradually sank into a peaceful darkness.
Time flowed silently as he slept.
In the blink of an eye, eighteen months passed.
In May of the year 3072 of the Interstellar Calendar, the Dawn precisely exited superluminal flight and arrived safely at the outskirts of the Carro Galaxy.
"Wake-up procedure initiated. Welcome back, crew members!"
Accompanied by Luo Lin's announcement and the mild wake-up agent entering his body, Lu Feng slowly awoke in the Cryo Pod.
The lid opened. He squinted, discomforted by the light, and instinctively looked toward the observation window of the Living Quarters.
Beyond the familiar starry sky, Lu Feng was surprised to see seven or eight starships of various designs floating nearby. They hung in silent formation like steel beasts, joining the Dawn to form a temporary interstellar fleet.
"Those are...?"
"They're Expeditionary Forces from three human auxiliary planets outside Tianlan Star," Luo Lin's voice promptly answered.
"Including us, four forces are taking part in this 'Spirit Slaughter' operation. The other starships arrived at the outskirts of the Carro Galaxy and assembled over the past half month."
Only then did Lu Feng remember what Fang Qing had told him before he boarded the Dawn.
Besides Tianlan Star, forces from three other planets would take part in this expedition, bringing the total number of troops to a staggering sixty thousand.
The next seven days were a recovery period for all crew members.
The Warriors aboard each starship underwent intensive physical recovery, neural-response coordination, and tactical adaptation training in specialized training pods, restoring bodily functions that had lain dormant for a year and a half.
On the final day of the recovery period, all personnel gathered in the central hall of the Mecha Bay.
Gao Zhan stood at the head of the formation, his expression grave. "Everyone, preparations are complete. In three hours, we'll begin landing on Planet Caro 9 in several waves. Remember, this is no longer a drill. It's a real expedition."
A low rumble traveled through the hull as the Dawn slowly entered the atmosphere of Planet Caro 9.
The massive ship finally steadied itself thousands of meters above the ground. Below stretched an endless expanse of reddish-brown land.
"All personnel, listen up." Gao Zhan's steady voice reached every squad member. "Get into your Mechas immediately and prepare to land according to the planned formation. Once you're down, keep your communications open. No one is to stray more than one kilometer from their squadmates."
At the order, the hall immediately sprang into action.
Lu Feng walked toward his Mecha. His number, 1227, was marked on the chest of the Alloy Mecha.
He opened the cockpit with practiced ease and climbed inside. As the system powered up, data indicators lit one after another on the Display Screen of his helmet.
"Mecha self-check complete. All systems are in good condition," Luo Lin announced from inside the cockpit.
One hatch after another opened along the starship's side, and powerful currents of air rushed in.
Lu Feng saw Gao Zhan reach the edge of the hatch first. He turned and gestured to the squad, then leapt into the sky.
Fang Qing, Hong Kun, Yang Qian, and the other squad members followed close behind, turning into streaks of light as they plunged toward the planet below.
At the same time, in the other Mecha bays, the remaining Expeditionary Forces from Tianlan Star were also heading toward the ground in orderly fashion.
Lu Feng took a deep breath and walked to the hatch.
He took one last look at the vast, unfamiliar alien landscape beneath him, then engaged his thrusters and disappeared into the howling wind.
After several minutes of descent, thousands of Alloy Mechas landed safely with the aid of their thrusters. They rapidly spread across the Sudali Plain on Carro 9 Star, forming an encirclement line stretching thousands of kilometers.
"This area is the Sudali Plain, the main habitat of an Exotic Beast known as the Purple-eyed Earth-drilling Bull. This species is enormous and immensely strong. Mission objectives: eliminate all Purple-eyed Earth-drilling Bulls in the area, seize the plain, and establish a Temporary Starry Sky Station."
Seated in his Mecha cockpit, Lu Feng listened to Luo Lin's mission briefing as he piloted his Mecha forward.
Just then, squad leader Gao Zhan's voice came through the team communications channel. "All members of Chasing Wind Squad, gather around me. Maintain formation and advance steadily."
"We'll begin roll call now. Respond as soon as you hear your number."
"1113."
"Here!"
"1118."
"Here!"
"1367."
"Here!"
"1227."
"1227."
"1227... What are you doing?"
Gao Zhan called him three times over the channel before Lu Feng finally snapped back to his senses. "Here!"
At that moment, directly in front of Lu Feng's Mecha, a Purple-eyed Earth-drilling Bull more than eight meters long and over five meters tall had just emerged from the loose sand. Its glowing purple eyes were fixed on him.
"What are you doing? Turn on radar sharing immediately!"
The atmosphere of Carro 9 Star was extremely dense, and the raging sand made it difficult for pilots to observe their surroundings with the naked eye.
The squad members could only keep in contact and track one another through the communications channel and shared radar.
"1227, respond if you hear me. Turn on your radar, now!"
It wasn't until Gao Zhan's second reminder that Lu Feng hurriedly switched on his radar.
Hong Kun, Yang Qian, and two other members of the Skyfire Club, who were closest to him, immediately piloted their Mechas toward his location.
Only when they got closer did they see the enormous Drill Bull standing motionless in front of Lu Feng's Mecha.
"Quick! Take the beast down!"
Hong Kun shouted over the communications channel, and all four Mechas opened fire at once.
Scorching, high-energy beams erupted from their weapon systems. Dozens of red streaks intertwined in an instant, turning the Drill Bull into a sieve.
"Shit!"
Lu Feng couldn't help cursing as he watched.
He hadn't responded to Gao Zhan right away because he'd been worried this would happen.
He'd been doing his best to absorb the energy inside the Drill Bull.
But he still hadn't managed to finish absorbing it in time.
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