After receiving directions, Li Qinwu left the Hideout, headed to the bridge, and ordered the captain:
"Switch the detection instruments to thermal and Biological Signal detection. See if you can find the target!"
The captain immediately complied, switching the detectors' scanning modes.
After roughly ten minutes of scanning, a target was suddenly marked, and the captain exclaimed:
"My lord, we've discovered an irregular cluster of asteroids approximately 5,500 kilometers across. There are 200 million active life-forms on it.
"Also, the instant the detectors scanned it, seven nuclear explosions of varying sizes erupted on the asteroid cluster!"
Li Qinwu looked puzzled.
"Nuclear explosions? What's going on?"
"We don't know the specifics, but we suspect the life-forms on the asteroid cluster may have launched some kind of tactical nuclear missiles to attack certain enemies."
Li Qinwu pondered briefly and began sorting through the intelligence.
This was the frontier of the Imperium of Man, somewhere no one had set foot for tens of thousands of years.
Over time, had a colony ship from the Dark Age of Technology somehow attracted asteroids or something else, gathering them into a cluster 5,500 kilometers across?
Then, for some unknown reason, nearly 200 million creatures had actually appeared on this asteroid cluster.
These creatures seemed to have adapted to life on the asteroid cluster, established different factions, and mastered nuclear weapons, which they were using to attack one another.
With so little intelligence, acting rashly could put him at a disadvantage.
Li Qinwu thought for a moment, then ordered:
"Have Hunter investigate."
A Shuttle covered in stealth panels took off from the Explorer's deck and flew toward the giant asteroid Li Qinwu had named Big Red.
The Shuttle flew through a dense belt of small asteroids and finally reached Big Red after about half a day.