Meanwhile, the data sent by the positioning beacon was transmitted via the quantum link to a desolate planet several star sectors away.
A massive, disc-shaped warship, as large as Mountain, rested silently within a crater. It was over thirty kilometers in diameter, its entire body a metallic gray, made of a common alloy—a rudimentary material for spaceships in the Explored Universe. This disc-shaped warship possessed anti-gravity levitation and a high-concentration nuclear propulsion system, but its warp technology was extremely rudimentary. If any interstellar citizens were present, they would know that the warship's technological level was somewhere between a galactic civilization and a surface civilization, equivalent to the technological level of a planetary civilization that had only recently begun colonizing outer space.
The only standout feature is its quantum communication technology.
The lower deck contains numerous cryogenic hibernation pods where countless crew members sleep, with only a few remaining awake in the bridge cockpit to maintain the spacecraft's life support functions.
Dozens of creatures dressed in simple combat suits were busy at various control panels. These creatures were rather short, had six arms, and brown skin.
Suddenly, one of the control panels issued a notification.
"Beep! Beacon 0278 has been activated. Location data from the beacon has been received."
All the operators in the room hurriedly turned their heads and rushed to the control panel, whispering among themselves. Then, a tall creature, clearly of another species, pushed through the crowd and squeezed to the front of the control panel.
"Make way, make way, let me see... Hahaha, have we discovered a new planet?"
This towering creature was clearly the leader, standing nearly three meters tall. The shorter operators around him only reached his thighs. This person wore a suit of metal armor that clanged as he walked. His appearance was utterly lawless, even more ferocious than an orc, and basically did not conform to the aesthetic standards of most humanoid creatures.
"Chief Qiqijia, this beacon has been out of contact for a long time. I didn't expect it to be activated now. Our beacon has been discovered by unknown intelligent beings! They have repaired the beacon!" An operator said in a panic.
"Wouldn't that be even better! We can capture them and use them as slaves to present to the Great Emperor. The Great Emperor loves new species the most!" Qiqijia laughed loudly.
"Big Chief, it's not that simple. This target is different from the groups we've invaded before. The fact that they can repair the beacon means they have a technological level close to ours. There aren't many people in the entire universe who can match us. This target won't be easy to deal with! Their initiative to repair the beacon might mean they're trying to turn around and attack us."
"What?! They still dare to come after us?!"
Upon hearing this, Qiqijia's expression turned fierce, and he roared, "Looks like a bunch of ignorant fools! They've never even heard of our Great Cosmos Corps! And they want to track us down? They're asking for death!"
If Han Xiao were here, he would be familiar with the name "Great Cosmos Corps". It is a native force in the Shattered World. It was once a wandering civilization that lost its home planet due to a disaster. It originally roamed the center of the Gaolu Star Cluster, searching for various resources to sustain its life.
In the early stages of their wandering, they used beacons to probe the surrounding planets and gradually discovered some backward civilizations. Due to a lack of trust and inability to communicate, they destroyed all the civilizations they encountered, plundered a large amount of resources and science and technology, and gradually became accustomed to this mode of development. They transformed from a wandering civilization into a space pirate organization, making a living by plundering planets.
Because the indigenous civilizations of the Gaolu Star Cluster were mostly weak and had little interaction with each other, this force Grand Theft Auto in the central region of the cluster, unchecked. Through plunder, they accumulated vast resources and manpower. With no other civilization nearby capable of resisting them, this group considered themselves the overlords of this universe and changed their name to the "Great Cosmos Corps"...
Just listen to that name; you can tell this group is incredibly arrogant.
Later, the Great Cosmos Corps began to explore more distant regions. With their technology, they naturally couldn't figure out the overall distribution of star clusters. They were completely in the dark about the unknown areas and could only grope their way in.
Although they occupied many planets as their territory, they did not conduct a complete exploration of the galaxy and lacked various infrastructures. It was as if they thought they ruled a region just because they had occupied some planets. Compared with the in-depth development of their territories by civilizations that Explored Universe, this group was completely disorganized.
This is an uncharted, undeveloped star field where such a special force could emerge—possessing a sphere of influence exceeding that of a galaxy-level civilization, yet weaker than even the most ordinary galaxy-level civilization. Lacking rivals, they feel extremely self-satisfied.
Their "power" is limited to the standards of the indigenous people.
In Han Xiao's words, this group of people were what is commonly known as frogs in a well.
In his previous life, the Empire explored the Gaolu Star Cluster and left only brief information about this group of people. Han Xiao laughed for a long time after reading it.
Because in the Empire's records, the deeds of this "Great Cosmos Corps" can basically be compared to the real-world Wanshun Heavenly Kingdom...
However, when the beacon was discovered, the name "hidden mission" was quite suspicious, leading Han Xiao to assume that it was some mysterious civilization in this star system. The Great Cosmos Corps was located in the central part of the Gaolu Star Cluster, and the records of the previous empire did not mention that the Great Cosmos Corps appeared in the southern border star system of the Gaolu Star Cluster.
Furthermore, the Empire only has brief records of the Great Cosmos Corps because, to the Empire, this native force was far too weak and made the mistake often made by natives: arrogance. This little episode wasn't worth recording for the Empire. In his previous life, the Empire's exploration occurred during a version update, which the player didn't experience firsthand. By the time he officially entered the Shattered World, the Great Cosmic Empire was long gone, and Han Xiao could only learn about it through fragments of the Empire's records. He felt it was unimportant and didn't leave a deep impression.
So he didn't initially think that way, and didn't know for the time being that the target of the mission was this faction... But even if he did know, it wouldn't make much difference to him.
The operator stammered, "I... I think it's best to report this to the Great Emperor... with just our numbers, we probably won't be enough..."
"What did you say!" Qiqijia, quick to anger, slammed his hand on the table.
"Chief, please don't be angry! The Great Emperor has entrusted you with this territory. Such a significant matter will anger the Great Emperor if we act without authorization!"
Upon hearing that the Great Emperor might be angry, Qiqijia shuddered, his anger instantly dissipating. He hesitated and said, "Then... then I'll report to the Great Emperor."
Everyone hurriedly contacted the Great Emperor, holding their breath and concentrating. Soon, a projection of a human figure appeared on the screen.
The figure in the image is a humanoid race, completely encased in dark purple mechanical armor, with only his head visible. He has long, messy black hair, pale skin, and a metal mask covering the lower half of his face, obscuring his features. His eyes are indifferent. He wears a bright red half-shoulder cloak, from which thick tentacles extend from his back. These tentacles are muscular and also covered in armor, resembling numerous mechanical tails that surround the figure.
He sat atop a steel throne atop a warship, behind him a metal wall engraved with the insignia of the Great Cosmos Corps, adorned with skulls of various beasts, like trophies or collectibles. This man was Atimo, the leader of the Great Cosmos Corps, who proclaimed himself "Cosmic Great Emperor."
Upon seeing this person, Qiqijia quickly stood up straight.
You'd better have a reason for bothering me.
Atimo raised his eyelids slightly, his tone indifferent yet cold.
Qiqijia shuddered. Because of his outstanding combat power, he had become one of the leaders. Although he was short-tempered, he was afraid of Atimo from the bottom of his heart. With the operators' constant reminders, he stumbled over the details of what had just happened and waited cautiously for a reply.
"So, you were discovered by an unknown force with advanced technology?"
"Yes, what should we do...?"
"Invade their planet, plunder their technology, seize their resources, annihilate them, capture them." Atimo's tone remained unchanged as he calmly stated, "Do I need to teach you these things?"
"Yes, I understand." Qiqijia nodded hurriedly.
After hanging up the communication, Qiqijia breathed a sigh of relief, regained his smugness, glared at the operators beside him, and roared:
"Did you hear that?! The Great Emperor has ordered us to annihilate the enemy! Wake up all the sleeping creatures! We have war to fight!"
Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and Han Xiao's main fleet officially set sail, leaving Planet Pangurid, leaving only a certain number of mining troops behind.
Han Xiao's next plan is to personally explore a fairly ordinary resource planet in the first star sector of the border system.
The famous planets in his memory were scattered across various regions. Compared to the scale of the entire star cluster, the First Sector was still somewhat small. Apart from Planet Pangurid, he had some impression of about a dozen other planets in this sector, all of which he had personally visited before. Some of them were resource planets—back then, he mainly used them to find teams to raid resources held by guilds—while others were functional planets, such as stargate stations and supply depots.
The Black Star Army's exploration team and the Seniko exploration team's tens of millions of ships are operating separately. Based on the current efficiency, it will take about seventeen or eighteen days to explore all the planets in the first star sector. Therefore, it is estimated that it will take about half a year to explore the entire star system, mainly because a lot of time will be spent on the road.
After all, not every planet has native inhabitants, and ordinary planets are easy to explore.
The task force, traveling on a high-warp spaceship, could establish long-distance stargates across more than a dozen star systems in just four months because they were traveling non-stop. During this time, Han Xiao felt he should be able to visit every planet in the current star system that he could remember.
On the other side, several warships broke away from the main force, carrying the mechanical units Xiao Faction, and headed towards the location of Qiqijia and the others, following the reverse positioning of the beacon.
Inside the spaceship, rows of mechanical soldiers stood silently in formation, waiting to be deployed under the remote control of the Sparta, without making the slightest movement.
Inside the ship's cabin, however, was a group of creatures that stood out from the lifeless mechanical troops. They were a group of mechanical lifeforms under Han Xiao's command who had activated their sparks.
"Everyone, this is the first time our master has sent us out into battle. We absolutely cannot let him down."
In the spacious room, dozens of mechanical beings sat or stood, watching Dark Emperor speak in a serious tone.
No sooner had the words been spoken than a silver mechanical lifeform, lounging casually on the sofa, spoke, mimicking an impatient tone.
"Hmph, we're all the master's first-generation children. You were just born the earliest, and you think you're our leader?"
Han Xiao personally created several thousand first-generation mechanical lifeforms, led by Dark Emperor, but some of these mechanical lifeforms were not convinced.
Mechanical life forms that awaken free thought also possess emotional modules. Because their physical forms are all different, they generally use Nano Transformation to give themselves bodies that allow for easy movement.
"According to the bloodline of living beings, Silver Flash, I am your elder brother," said the Dark Emperor.
The talking mechanical life form is called Silver Flash. It is jealous that Dark Emperor can always be by Han Xiao's side... Dark Emperor is just a Floating Fissioner. The master's favorite thing is clearly his thick, long and powerful star destroyer cannon!
"Let's fight! Let's fight! Whoever wins becomes the boss!" A red and black mechanical life form, noticeably shorter than the others, bounced around, seemingly eager to stir up trouble. Its true form was a dark energy floating turret called the Red Fire Group.
"Stop fooling around." Dark Emperor waved his hand.
"I'll make a scene!" Silver Flash seized the opportunity and suddenly pounced, his mechanical buttocks crushing the sofa as he crashed headfirst into Dark Emperor.
The Dark Emperor suddenly split from his human form into floating guards, allowing Silver Flash to pass through them and miss.
*Thud! Silver Flash braced himself on his arm, spun around, and delivered a whirlwind kick to Dark Emperor's floating guardian clone. His true form was a planet-destroying cannon, and he dared not fire it casually on the ship, only using close combat.
The two floating guardians suddenly merged into a hand, grabbing Silver Flash's kicking leg. Sparks flew as the metal clashed. Then, the Dark Emperor returned to human form and grabbed Silver Flash, throwing him over his shoulder.
Bang! The heavy mechanical body slammed into the metal floor with a loud thud, leaving a dent.
"Want to play again?" Dark Emperor held onto Silver Flash's foot tightly, releasing a nanoparticle constraint field in his palm to prevent Silver Flash from Nano Transformation retracting his leg.
Silver Flash fell to the ground, one leg was grabbed, and the other leg kept kicking at Dark Emperor, just like children fighting, but Dark Emperor dodged them all.
Two mechanical beings were fighting, and the room was quickly turned into a mess. The surrounding mechanical beings quickly moved away to clear the space.
Normally, in Han Xiao's secondary space military camp, the mechanical lifeforms sparred and fought every day, fighting without hesitation, and all the mechanical lifeforms were used to it.
"Didn't you put on any oil? Push harder!!" The Red Fire Group, always eager to stir up trouble, yelled and shouted. A nearby Oathkeeper, unable to stand it any longer, kicked it like a football.
"Don't sink the spaceship! Go fight it in the combat room!" a Ranger mechanical lifeform shouted.
At that moment, all the mechanical lifeforms froze in motion, and the chilling voice of Sparta suddenly rang out.
"Your master finally gave you a task, and you've acted like this?! You all need to reflect on your actions!"
Mechanical life forms have free will, but in the underlying logic, Han Xiao's intelligent control has a higher priority, second only to Han Xiao's own authority.
Generally speaking, Han Xiao doesn't allow AI to easily take over control, letting the mechanical lifeforms act freely, as this is better for their growth. However, Sparta didn't want these mechanical lifeforms to cause trouble, so he just a moment ago took away their control over their bodies, manipulating them back into the cabin to stand obediently.
However, although these mechanical lifeforms cannot control their bodies, their minds remain active, exchanging insults with each other via network links.
Silver Flash: "If this were an open field, you'd be nothing but scrap metal by now!"
Dark Emperor: "Hehe."
Ranger: "It's all your fault! We can't move at all!"
Oathkeeper: "Silver Flash... Once the mission is complete, I'll dismantle you and send you to my master for reworking!"
Silver Flash: "You think I'm afraid of you? Give me the guts to fire a shot at you! Let's see if you still have a chance to be remade!"
These mechanical lifeforms cannot move their bodies, but they can speak...
It is commonly referred to as "standing punishment".