The spaceship hatch was left ajar.
Chen Xuan slipped into the cabin. The howling wind and sand immediately grew much fainter, and even more surprisingly, several dim lights were still on inside.
It was not hard to understand—after all, some data could only be accessed after the power was turned on.
It seemed the Organization had put considerable effort into searching this spaceship.
The cabin was a complete mess. Much of the equipment had been thoroughly destroyed, probably as a convenient byproduct of their search.
He wondered how much extra it would cost Abigail to repair all this.
Compared to such a massive body—it should be negligible.
Chen Xuan glanced at his ID card. The time displayed was 12:41.
Twenty minutes remained until the estimated impact time.
Logically, the projectile sent down at this point should already have been visible to the naked eye. Due to its extreme speed, it would emit an intense glow as it approached the atmosphere, enough to illuminate half the night sky. Yet when he looked upward through the porthole, all he saw was a city swallowed by darkness. The faint scattered lights flickered in and out through the sandstorm, as though they might go out at any moment.
An eerie illusion surfaced in his mind.
As he gazed up at the city, the city was gazing back at him.
Did anyone live aboard the Sky Patroller?
If no one did, why was it covered in lights like a human city?
And if someone did, who were they?
Could they be—the Gospel Faction?
He had indeed heard the settlement residents mention that many wanderers entered Jiangcheng every year. Yet only a small number were absorbed by the settlements, while the rest vanished without a trace. Considering the ubiquitous Nano-Lifeforms, it was perfectly normal for them