Sudden Crisis!
The voice on the other end of the communication was hoarse and shrill.
Moreover, the surrounding environment was filled with noise, and one could vaguely hear sounds resembling the roars of some kind of giant object or wild beast, indicating that it was not safe.
Even in space, Alvin clearly felt a deep-seated disgust and unease through this eerie audio.
He turned to look at Carroll and noticed that the elderly sage seemed somewhat dazed, so he spoke to bring him back to his senses, "Lord Carroll, could you tell me more about the Grand Sage Julius Davenport, who has been missing for nearly a century?"
Awakening from his daze, Carroll took a deep breath, his thoughts gradually clearing, before beginning to speak, "Julius Davenport was hailed a hundred years ago as the most gifted genius of the Mechanicus, and the most promising candidate to become the youngest 'Forge Master.' He loved adventure and exploration, and often led a fleet of Mechanicus Ark to mysterious locations recorded in the Mechanicus's scriptures. But no one expected that a hundred years ago, this most gifted Grand Sage of the Mechanicus would suddenly vanish without a trace."
After speaking at length, Carroll calmed herself slightly and continued, "Later, the Martian Forge World also searched for it, but strangely—his fleet left no records. The only thing known is that the fleet's last voyage was recorded as being in the far north of the Segmentum Obscurus."
"So, they went to the Black Zone?" Alvin asked.
"That's right." Carroll nodded, her remaining eye filled with complex emotions. "Unexpectedly, we've found the crash site of Julius Davenport's expedition fleet."
Alvin exhaled a breath of stale air, his gaze falling on the images transmitted back by the expedition team: the wreckage of Mechanicus Ark covered in thick moss and algae, resembling a landmass after its crash. "Do you think this could be a trap?!"
Actually, you can't blame him for being too cautious.
To date, their understanding of this pink planet is almost zero; the only thing they know is that it is extremely dangerous!
The wreckage from a crash a century ago, a promising young Forge Master, and the most gifted Grand Sage of the Mechanicus.
The fact that so many have perished here is enough to prove how dangerous this planet is.
It should be noted that the exploration fleet of the Mechanicus is usually a huge fleet consisting of several frigates, cruisers and capital ships, whose firepower and personnel configuration far exceed that of their fleet.
Even such a powerful exploration fleet crashed on this planet, which speaks volumes.
Carroll understood his concerns and said, "Your Highness, I don't deny that it is indeed dangerous here, but—"A Mechanicus Ark, even its wreckage, is an extremely valuable asset. Moreover, this Grand Sage Julius Davenport possesses several "STC Template," and even now, in terms of wealth and knowledge, he is among the most sought-after in the Forge World."
"That makes some sense."
Alvin nodded, which could be considered a reluctant agreement with his point of view.
"There's a second point, Your Highness," Carroll continued, "Julius Davenport's mention of the Cocoon of Myriad Machines and the Door gives me a very bad feeling. Combined with the Omega-class Signal he emitted, I think it's very necessary for us to investigate."
"Alright, since you think it's worth it, let's proceed with this plan for now." Alvin tapped his fingertips, then adjusted the communication channel to inform the exploration team of his decision.
"Winnie, come to the command room for a moment."
Alvin didn't forget to also call this Living Saint over; she should have some advice.
The scene returns to the exploration team.
The group was wearing a new generation of biomechanical armor from the Alien World, jointly developed by engineers and the bio- Grand Sage Carroll. It possessed both the power of mechanical attributes and the convenience of biological attributes, as well as the ability to survive in extreme environments.
This was also an armor that Alvin had Carroll develop specifically to account for the various dangers he might encounter after entering the Black Zone.
After receiving Alvin's order to continue exploring deeper, the group split into several batches and boarded the Mechanicus Ark that had sunk on the pink ocean.
For safety reasons, and also to avoid being wiped out, they need to wait for the previous squad to send back accurate information before logging in one by one and establishing stable communication nodes, scanning towers, etc.
After boarding the Mechanicus Ark, the first three members of the exploration team lost their live communication feeds due to an unknown signal blocking their view.
However, the subsequent exploration teams aboard Valkyrie were still able to maintain communication, and it was clear that several members could be seen boarding the Mechanicus Ark wreckage.
With communication blocked, they used simple sign language to communicate. The first group of exploration team members who boarded the Mechanicus Ark wreckage began to investigate the source of the unknown abnormal signal and prepare to establish a communication and scanning tower.
However, as the first group of exploration team members who boarded the wreckage gradually disappeared from sight, and as time passed, the subsequent groups of members on the Valkyrie gradually realized that something was wrong.
"How much time has passed?" the Tech-Priest asked.
"An hour and a half." The expedition leader, who was also the captain, glanced at his watch, his brow furrowed. "According to the stipulated time, they should have returned here to report their findings, but they haven't come back yet. It's very likely that something unexpected has happened."
Regardless of what they were exploring, if communication was disrupted, they had to return to the starting point every hour to report the situation along the way to the exploration team.
"Second team." The exploration team leader, expressionless, continued directing the second team toward the wreckage, "Remember, you have one hour for your mission. Once you find the first team, immediately return to the starting point and report the situation."
If the first incident was an accident, then the fact that the Second Squad also failed to return an hour after setting off proves the problem.
However, at that moment...
The captain suddenly noticed that the waves below seemed to be getting higher and higher. He turned his head sharply and saw a terrifying scene.
Unbeknownst to them, the Valkyrie they were with, along with the wreckage of the Mechanicus Ark, was surrounded by tsunamis surging from all directions!
Wait, a tsunami?!
No, this is impossible—the captain's pupils suddenly contracted, trembling as if in an earthquake, his face turned deathly pale, and his mind was completely blank.
How could such a massive tsunami have gone unnoticed beforehand?!
Even setting aside the commotion caused by the tsunami, the tidal fluctuations detected in the early stages of the tsunami alone would not have allowed them to be caught completely off guard and surrounded by the tsunami!
"Robert, what's wrong with you?!" The captain turned and roared at the equally terrified Tech-Priest, "Why wasn't there a warning for such a massive tsunami?!"
"I, I—"
Father Robert, the Tech-Priest, was also stunned, staring blankly at the waves that seemed to connect with the sky. "Omnissiah above, I swear, this tsunami—it appeared suddenly, without any warning!"