The Andia Continent, once controlled by the Germinal, suffers from the aftermath of Old Era War. The Six Nations expedition a few years ago further deteriorated the environment of this land, with nuclear radiation concentrations far exceeding the warning line. The land is scorched and the wilderness is desolate. The wandering tribes that once lived on this land have been relocated to the other three continents by the Six Nations. Andia is now a desolate wasteland, with only mutated beasts remaining as survivors.
The ruins of the Germinal site are located on this land. The once magnificent base complex has become a black, scorched wasteland. The central base has disappeared, leaving only a black circle in its place. The underground base has also been destroyed. The edge of the circle is lined with black lines radiating outwards, extending for hundreds of miles.
Due to the extremely high concentration of nuclear radiation, after the nuclear explosion, the Six Nations only sent some drones to explore the ruins. Nothing of value was left behind, and there were no signs of life. Everyone died in the tidal wave of nuclear attacks.
Therefore, the Six Nations did not waste their energy cleaning up this mess. Over the years, the Germinal ruins have been covered with a thick layer of dust, and some metal fragments that were thrown out by the explosion and stuck in the soil have shown signs of wind erosion. Decay and death fill the air.
However, in this area where even mutated beasts cannot survive, a figure stands in the very center of the ruins of the Germinal Base. It is called a "figure," but it is actually a charred skeleton. The flesh and blood, as if made of steel, were burned to ashes in the explosion a few years ago, but the charred skeleton was preserved and did not turn into dust. Even after several years, it has not rotted into ash. Only the body of a superhuman and the book have a resilience far beyond that of ordinary people.
However, it was obvious that the body had long since lost all signs of life, and gray dust in the air drifted in and out of the empty eye sockets.
Yet this very corpse was now moving slowly, taking steps with a limp gait. A pool of black mucus clung to its cervical vertebrae, from which silken roots extended, winding around its limbs along the bones, like a puppeteer. This skeleton was like a marionette.
This black slime is the Mutation Source. After passively absorbing free energy in its "infancy" stage, it can now actively seek energy, constantly changing its host, traversing mountains and rivers, and finally crossing the ocean to reach the Andia Continent. It shares the senses of countless lives, and the energy here is not only enormous, but also the most easily absorbed type of radiation energy for it, rich in nutrients.
The Germinal Ruins are a forbidden zone for life. The beast possessed by the Mutation Source died in the forbidden zone, so it had to keep moving its body to the center of the ruins. At this moment, the skeleton it was controlling was the only corpse in the center of the Germinal Ruins—the corpse of the Germinal Leader. When the explosion happened, the leader was in the underground base. Due to the layers of barriers and his strong body, his remains were preserved, while the others had long since turned to ashes.
On an invisible level, the nuclear radiation at the center of the Germinal Ruins is being continuously absorbed by the Mutation Source. On a microscopic level, the Mutation Source's self-division and proliferation rate has increased by hundreds of times, and the proliferated material is constantly volatilized, turning into energy under its control. In this back-and-forth process, the energy form is transformed.
In the previous storyline, Tyne discovered the Mutation Source after being released from prison and became its host. However, now Tyne has been captured by Han Xiao and is undergoing labor reform. Without this powerful "vehicle," the Mutation Source wasted a lot of time on the road.
However, in the original storyline, it didn't have such a good "cradle" as the Germinal Ruins.
The skeleton moved slowly, Mutation Source absorbed energy hungrily, causing the nuclear radiation concentration to decrease at a rate imperceptible to the naked eye.
Norcap's fleet hovered on the back of a barren planet. From here, it would only take one short jump to reach Planet Aquamarine. The distance was already very close. This was the last area where the Stealth mode was effective. If they got any closer, the stealth devices would no longer be able to deceive Goddora's military radar, and the fleet's gravity would reveal its location.
It's like being in the deep sea, where visibility is completely black. You can only use the current to determine if an enemy is approaching. The closer you are, the more obvious the disturbance in the current becomes. Gravity is like the current; if you're too close, the concealment will fail. The specific distance depends on the radar's Reconnaissance capabilities.
Having been enemies for many years, DarkStar is well aware of the capabilities of Goddora's military equipment, while also continuously improving its own stealth technology.
Inside the command ship, a flurry of activity was underway, with final preparations being made before the attack. Norcap confirmed various intelligence reports with the Reconnaissance personnel.
How much defense force does Planet Aquamarine currently have?
"There are 120 standard-type Goddora frigates in outer space. This is a medium-sized fleet, likely dispatched from the Nadban Military Base."
"Does the infiltration team have any intelligence?"
"Yes, they said that in addition to the escort fleet, there are more than a dozen Goddora relief ships, led by Nagokin, a high-ranking official of the War Bureau, a martial artist with Calamity Grade strength."
Norcap remained expressionless. "Calamity Grade powerhouse, huh? That's a bit troublesome. We don't have any high-level combatants on our side, so we can rule out boarding maneuvers. Fortunately, it's just a martial artist. Any other information?"
"Besides the Goddora people, there is another force on Planet Aquamarine: the Black Star Mercenary Group, the Dragon Calm Field Armed Forces, which also possesses more than a dozen spaceships."
Norcap's eyes remained unmoved. "Black Star... those are the mercenaries who killed Anur in Noriosse a year ago, right? They were a troublesome bunch. It seems Planet Aquamarine is special, with stronger defenses than the previous two planets. It'll be a bit tricky. So, execute Plan Four."
Norcap wasn't too surprised to learn that Black Star was on Planet Aquamarine. To him, it was just another enemy to deal with, nothing to be alarmed about.
It wasn't that Norcap underestimated the enemy; after quickly assessing the balance of power, he decided to continue the attack mission.
In other words, the addition of the Black Star Mercenary Group only made things slightly more difficult for him, nothing more.
"DarkStar could appear at any moment. I need you to react immediately, so open your eyes wide and be alert!"
In the outer space of Planet Aquamarine, Battet, the commander of the Goddora escort fleet, spoke loudly on the communication channel. He was a short Goddora with a fiery temper and a booming voice.
"Commander Battet, radar has detected a target. A fleet is rapidly approaching... They've stopped! Their position is at C-02-07!"
Battet immediately looked at the radar screen, where more than a hundred dots of light appeared. These were the DarkStar fleet. He looked out the porthole, but he did not see the DarkStar fleet in that direction. The distance between the two sides was beyond visual range, and they were at their respective maximum firing range.
Buzzing--
Just then, an alarm suddenly sounded in the command center, and red lights flashed.
"Warning! A high-energy reaction has been detected approaching! A collision is imminent!"
Outside the porthole, thousands of green dots suddenly lit up in the pitch-black universe, as dense ion cannons shot towards them from afar.
Norcap's fleet has launched a beyond-visual-range attack!