Stealing Home

Star Origin quickly broke away from the pursuit of several Aurora Rats, continuing to dash rapidly in the direction from which the massive swarm of Aurora Rats was emerging.

Although the Level 4 Star Beasts within the Aurora Rat army detected Star Origin, they paid it no mind.

It was merely a "low-level" human starship; its attack power was likely inferior even to their Level 2 kin. The special substance coating the exterior of their nest could withstand attacks even from their Level 3 kin.

While they didn't know why this weak human starship knew the location of their lair, the greatest threat currently remained the human fleet.

They were the true threat to the nest.

Consequently, the few Level 4 Aurora Rat Star Beasts simply dispatched a handful of Level 1 and 2 kin, ignoring Star Origin thereafter.

Even as it approached the nest.

There were still plenty of Level 3 kin inside the nest, and several Level 4s remained on guard; what was there to fear?

"Phew... they really don't care."

Seeing the Matrix alert that a high-energy mental wave had swept over Star Origin, and that the group of Level 4 Aurora Rats had not come to intercept, he breathed a sigh of relief.

A life-level of Level 3 was a threshold; the combat power of a Level 4 Star Beast far exceeded that of a Level 3.

Star Origin could currently fight several Level 3 Star Beasts simultaneously, but if it encountered a single Level 4 Star Beast, it could barely break through its defenses, and whether it could secure a kill depended entirely on luck.

As for Level 4 elite Star Beasts, there was no choice but to retreat.

As they gradually approached the nest, Star Origin became increasingly cautious. A nest capable of fielding Level 4 Aurora Rats likely had a Level 5 guarding it.

Facing a Level 4 was already difficult enough; if they encountered a Level 5, it was questionable whether they could even escape.

Even so, Feng Xiao had no intention of giving up. Fortune favors the bold, after all.

Attaching itself to a meteorite, Star Origin naturally drifted toward the nest that was now coming into view.

The Aurora Rat nest was established within a large, shattered planet. The planet, which appeared to have been smashed into five fragments by some celestial body, was now held together by countless mysterious black substances.

Dense, swarming tunnels covered the surface of this material, seemingly leading directly into the planet's interior, with millions of Aurora Rats, each dozens of meters long, moving in and out.

Their life levels were not weak, though they had not reached the rank of Star Beast; the black substance was a mixture of their saliva and hard rock.

After thousands of years of accumulation, its hardness could absolutely withstand attacks below 500 Star Weapons!

Controlling the meteorite to enter the orbit of a nearby planet, the crew of Star Origin, hidden within the ring, quickly discovered their target.

Thousands of kilometers away from the nest planet.

They could see a starship floating in the starry sky, which, despite losing power, still appeared shiny and full of texture.

Its shape was generally elliptical, with an estimated total length of about ten thousand meters.

It exuded a purple-pink metallic luster. If not for the massive hole in one side of its hull and its completely scrapped railgun weapon system, one would never have guessed that it was a starship that had been abandoned for decades!

Not rushing to investigate, Feng Xiao frowned as he observed the status of the starship on the virtual screen.

On the left side of the hull were three massive gashes, dozens of meters wide and about a thousand meters long, through which one could even see the interior of the starship.

"Is that... the claw marks of some creature?!"

Ilde noticed the appearance of the wounds and was immediately stunned. What kind of life form could instantly breach the defenses of a starship above Level 61?

One had to know that for a starship of that level, not to mention the grade of its Star Weapons, they would definitely have the capability to replace their primary Star Weapons with purple-quality ones!

High-quality Star Weapons, even red-quality ones, were rare, but as long as one had sufficient potential and combat power, they were not difficult to obtain.

Of course, for a "backwater" like the Morton Galaxy where the Blue Crystal Federation was located, red-quality was already an extremely rare, top-tier Star Weapon.

However, within the inner human territories, the upgrade caps for anything below red-quality Star Weapons were not high, and they could be mass-produced artificially.

Basically, no high-potential, first-generation starship that had received official attention would use Star Weapons below red-quality for long.

They were replaced after a period of use; only those of red quality and above were top-tier Star Weapons that truly required opportunity and luck to acquire!

First, they could not be mass-produced; second, their base attributes and upgrade caps were high. Even obtaining one was enough to pull away from starships of the same level in terms of combat power.

A very distinct gap in combat power.

Such Star Weapons could even accompany their starship for a lifetime without ever being replaced.

Therefore, a starship of at least Level 61 would inevitably have purple or even higher-quality shield Star Weapons, with a defensive rating of absolutely no less than tens of thousands!

Yet, such a powerful starship had been torn apart, shield and armor alike!

That's right, torn apart simultaneously!

This starship had only one set of wounds; judging by the situation, when it was attacked, the starship hadn't even had time to react or evade!

As for the railgun weapon system, it was likely the result of "flogging a dead horse" by other powerful Star Beasts after the ship was disabled, due to the high-energy reactions contained within.

Feng Xiao simulated the size of the claws based on the wounds for comparison and couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

"A life form of at least ten thousand meters..."

"Ten thousand meters!??"

Wang Hao's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Ten thousand meters; it's at least a level six Star Beast, perhaps even a level seven."

Feng Xiao stated with certainty.

As for even higher-tier Star Beasts, biographies described some that were the size of planets.

As an explorer, the pursuit of the unknown and the thrill of discovery were paramount; high-quality Star Weapons were merely tools to safeguard those expeditions.

After a moment of reflection, Feng Xiao prepared to investigate what treasures that starship might hold.

"Heart of Dawn?"

Heart of Dawn (Repaired: 5%)

Scan: Target confirmed (Expand)

Lock: Not selected

Analysis: Not selected

"Confirm!"

Feng Xiao was pleasantly surprised; he hadn't expected it to actually work.

Target starship scanning...

Large quantities of equipment and Star Weapons have been destroyed.

Starship has lost its value.

Single usable resource detected:

Storm Piercer -- Propulsion Star Weapon

Description: A special Star Weapon containing a full propulsion system, including high-energy engines, spatial propulsion turbines, and spatial jump devices.

Quality: Purple (Cap: lv25)

Level: lv0

Speed: Up to four times the speed of light.

Jump range within fifty light-years (1 light-year/h)

(↑1 level +20%)

Restriction: Must be equipped on a high-level starship.

Purple Enhancement: Storm Cruise

When traveling at full speed, speed increases by 25% every 6 hours, up to a maximum of 75%; effect ceases upon stopping.

(Can be equipped on low-level hulls if they are Epic-grade or higher; occupies two Star Weapon slots.)

"Good stuff!"

Feng Xiao's eyes lit up. Speed was vital for a starship, especially one designed for adventure.

Moving at light speed, combined with spatial jumps, would significantly increase their survival rate, allowing them to escape in time if they encountered danger.

One had to realize that most Elite-grade starships couldn't even reach the speed of light; Star Origin's speed, which approached sub-light, was already enough to outrun intermediate starships.

Not to mention a proper four times the speed of light!

There was also the Purple Enhancement; although it wasn't suited for combat and could only be used for long-distance travel, its effects were quite formidable.

If equipped, Star Origin's speed would dominate the area surrounding the Blue Crystal Federation in the short term!

Furthermore, Star Origin was only one level away from reaching an intermediate starship (lv11), and with the Legendary hull enhancement, it would gain four additional Star Weapon slots.

It could definitely be equipped.

"Do you all have a way to retrieve it while ensuring our safety?"

Regardless of how things looked, this was still a rat nest nearby. It was fine if they weren't seen, but if discovered, they would certainly be attacked by the level three or four Aurora Rats guarding the area.

No matter how weak Star Origin appeared on the outside, it couldn't hide the fact that it posed a threat to the nest.

The group fell into deep thought. If a level four Aurora Rat attacked, it would inevitably alert the Aurora Rat King that likely existed, and at that point, death would be certain.

Suddenly, Wang Hao thought of an idea: "Logically speaking, this Star Weapon is now ownerless, so we should be able to take it if we are within a certain distance, right?"

Feng Xiao nodded: "Yes, but even if we get our hands on it, we won't be able to escape the pursuit of a level four Aurora Rat. Their speed is indeed a notch faster than Star Origin's current capabilities."

"Then we enter the alternate universe!"